Re:Kingdom Hearts
by XantheXV
Summary: With Pyn now knowing who she really is, her and the rest of the gang head for Hollow Bastion. Will Sora and Pyn be able to save their friendship with Riku, while saving Kairi? Story Updated! Please Read & Review!
1. Prologue: The Dream Into the Heart

**Author's Note:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts, any part of it or even in its entirety. It is owned by Disney and Square-Enix. I only own my OC. I hope you guys enjoy!

**Prologue- The Dream(Into the Heart)**

It felt like sinking, but I was falling. My friend, Sora, was falling, too. I saw the sunset and then hit the water, but neither of us slowed in speed. We kept falling, deeper and faster. We started to slow down, turning around, flipping from head-first to feet-first, and landed on a black floor. We looked at each other, and then looked around. Sora took a step, and the floor transformed. What was once the surface of the floor turned into white doves that flew all around us, revealing a green colored platform. We watched the birds fly off. I looked down at the floor. On the platform was a picture of a woman wearing a blue, red, and yellow dress. She had short, curly black hair and was biting into an apple.

"So much to do, so little time," a voice called out.

_Huh? Who said that?_ I wondered. Sora and I looked around, trying to figure out who said that.

"Step up to the light. Can you do it?"

_Of course I can_, I thought. We both slowly walked up to the light, not knowing what to expect. Once we made it to the right spot, three small pedestals appeared one by one. As each one appeared, a different item appeared as well as a different saying from the anonymous voice calling out from above us.

"Power sleeps within you…" A staff with a rounded-ear top appeared. "But if you give it form…" A shield appeared next. "It will give you strength." Then a sword appeared, the light shining off the blade. "Choose wisely."

_I have to choose?_ I thought. _Okay then_. I walked around and looked at each one. _Hmm…but which one?_ After a while, I chose the sword—Sora chose the same. After giving up the shield, the platforms disappeared into the floor. This caused the floor to break beneath our feet, and we fell into the darkness below.

As Sora and I fell, another platform appeared out of the darkness. This time, it was blue. On the platform was a picture of a woman with blonde hair, wearing a blue dress. She had her hair up in a bun. Behind her was a faded blue castle. We landed on the platform very agilely. Once we landed, the weapons of our choice were summoned by our own hands. Sora's looked just like the sword we both chose on the platform above, but mine looked different. Instead, it was shaped like a key. _Huh? What is this? A key?_ I wondered. I looked at Sora and he looked just as puzzled as me. The voice once again called out to us.

"You have gained the right to fight!" it said.

_Fight what?_ I wondered. I looked at the weapon in my hand and then took my fighting stance, as if I were play sword-fighting with Sora and our friend, Riku. Then I swung at the air.

"Alright! You got it!" _Got what? _I wondered. _ All I did was swing._ Then the voice spoke again. "There will be times when you have to fight." As it spoke, a strange creature appeared from the ground and ran around, stalking us. It lunged at us to attack, and we attacked back. As soon as that happened, and the creature was gone, more appeared, and we were surrounded. The voice said, "Keep your light burning strong." We fought hard, until all of the creatures were gone. All of a sudden, black spots covered the platform. I had a strange feeling come over me. _Something isn't right. And why does this feel so familiar?_ They covered the entire floor, and engulfed us.

We were surrounded by darkness. I struggled and struggled until I opened my eyes and gasped for air. I was on another platform. I noticed that this time, there were three outlines of princesses. I got up and saw Sora struggling on the other side. I walked over to wake him up, but he beat me to the punch. He saw that the darkness was gone, and got up. Sora had a confused look on his faced. I turned around and noticed that there was a door that appeared on the opposite side of us. A light was shining on it, and we walked over to it. Sora moved to open the door, but his hand passed through. He looked at me, but I only shrugged. We turned away from the door. Another light appeared, and within it, a barrel popped out of nowhere.

_Well, that's random,_ I thought. _Why is there a barrel here?_ Sora smashed the barrel, and the border of the door fabricated. _Huh? That's weird._ A huge box appeared then, and I smashed it to pieces. An item, a potion at that, was all that was left of the box. I picked it up and put it in my pocket. The rest of the door became one solid piece, and then we opened it. A bright light shone, and we walked through, hesitantly.

As we walked through the door, we saw that we were at our home, our island. _Thank goodness,_ I thought, feeling relieved. _We're home._ My heart skipped a beat when I saw our friends Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie, but was suddenly disappointed when the voice called out again. _Aw man!_

"The door has not opened. First, tell me about yourselves." _What is that suppose to mean?_ I walked up to Tidus first, with Sora close behind, to see what was going on. Before I could say anything, he asked us, "What are you afraid of?" I looked at Sora; he seemed just as confused as me, but looked as though he were actually trying to come up with an answer. I was as well. _What _am _I afraid of…hmm._ Then I looked at Tidus, and said that I was afraid of getting old. I was startled, because when I said that, I thought it echoed. I looked at Sora and he looked at me—we apparently said the same thing. "Getting old?" wondered Tidus. "Is that really so scary?" We walked up to Selphie and then Wakka. Both asked us questions and we both gave them answers. The voice, which appeared to hear and see everything we said and did, called out once again. "You're afraid of getting old. You value friendship. You want to see rare sights. Is this the path you choose?" _Of course I do,_ I thought. The voice spoke again. "The day you open the door is both far off and very near."

A light shone bright, and we appeared on yet another platform. On this platform, I saw a picture of a girl with long, golden locks wearing a crown and a long-sleeved pink gown. She appeared to be asleep. She was holding a rose, and was surrounded by thorns. _She looks…familiar,_ I thought. Sora and I walked to the center of the platform. As we did, more creatures appeared and we fought them off. Once they were gone, a staircase of much smaller platforms appeared, one by one, leading up to another platform. _Will this ever end?_ I wondered, desperate to get out. I looked at Sora, we both nodded, and we ran up the staircase to the next platform. When we got up there, I noticed that the girl on this platform was wearing a yellow gown, and had brown curly hair that was half up in a bun and the rest was in a ponytail. Another light shone through the darkness, and we slowly walked up to it. The voice spoke once again.

"The closer you are to the light, the bigger your shadow becomes." As we turned around to look at our shadows, we saw that they became one, popped out of the floor and took shape. We backed away slowly, the combined shadow taking the form of a giant black creature like the ones we had seen before. We backed away even more, and the voice continued to speak.

"But don't be afraid…and don't give up." We turned to run, and nearly fell off the platform we were on. We turned around to face the enormous creature, raised our weapons to it, and fought it. Several hits to the hands and three blows to the head later, the creature fell. But, it didn't seem to want to go down without taking us with it. We jumped out of the way as it started to fall. Our weapons disappeared and we fell down. As the creature was disappearing and covering the top of the platform with darkness, we heard the voice call out to us.

"Don't be afraid." it said. We struggled and struggled to get out of the darkness.

"You two hold the mightiest weapons of all." We kept struggling.

"And don't forget—" We had become completely engulfed by the creature. The last thing we heard was—

"You both will be the ones who will open the door."


	2. Destiny Islands

Author's Note: This is the actual first chapter. This is where the game's plot begins. For those of you who have played the game before, you will probably remember what happens, so if I missed anything or messed anything up, let me know please. Just remember that I am doing this from my OC's point of view. Those of you that haven't, I hope you enjoy! Please R&R! Sorry it's so long!

**Chapter One: Destiny Islands**

The bright, warm sun was blinding me as I woke from my nap. The sky was blue—there was hardly a cloud in sight. One moved in front of the sun long enough for me to open my blue violet eyes and gain consciousness. I sat up, brushing the sand off my back and out of my black hair. I yawned, and brushed my hair out of my eyes, which turned out to be a lost cause. I stood up and walked to the edge of the beach. Compared to the dream I had, everything was peaceful—the waves were calming, the breeze felt nice. I became very relaxed.

_Whoa, Pyn,_ I thought to myself. _ Stay awake! The raft isn't going to build itself!_

I turned around to head for the other side of the island when I noticed Sora lying in the sand asleep. I just shook my head.

"Gee whiz. Don't tell me you dozed off, too!" I said, more to myself than to him. Then I giggled, and was startled when I hear another join in the giggling.

Standing at Sora's head was a red-brown-haired girl with bright blue eyes, wearing a white and purple-lined tank top with purple shorts. Over her shorts was a purple skirt. She was wearing a couple of bracelets on her left wrist and a large, yellow sweat band on her right. The shoes she was wearing were white and purple, much like her shirt. This was Kairi. The sun shone off of her pendant and blinded me for a minute. Before I could say anything, Sora finally woke up. He sat up, yawned, and lay back down, only to shoot back up because he was startled by Kairi, who, to him, appeared out of nowhere. She laughed.

"Gimme a break, Kairi." Sora said groggily. He was blushing.

"Sora, you lazybum! I thought I'd find you snoozing down here." Kairi responded, almost sounding sly.

_Where have I heard that before?_ I wondered. _It reminds me of something._ Sora broke my train of thought.

"No! This HUGE black thing swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't—ow!" Kairi smacked Sora on the side of his brown, yet sandy, haired head. I gasped.

"Are you still dreaming?"

"No, it wasn't a dream, or was it? I don't know." He looked as though he was going to continue. I interrupted him.

"What was that place? It was so bizarre!" I said.

"Huh? Wait, you had the same dream?" he asked, dumb-founded.

"Yeah."

"Weird. But come to think of it, I _did_ see you there. You know, in the dream."

Noticing that he didn't say it was just his dream, I ventured to say, "You were there when I had it, too."

"Yeah, sure," Kairi interjected.

_So, Sora and I had the same dream. But did all of that really happen? _Sora changed the subject.

"Say, Kairi. What was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up?" he asked.

"I told you before. I don't remember." Sora looked somewhat disappointed. Then he looked at me, as if to ask the same question.

"Don't look at me like that! I don't remember at all either!" I said with a sorry tone, trying to make my friend feel better.

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing." Kairi and I said together.

"Do you guys ever wanna go back?" I thought about it for a minute. _I never really thought about it. Would I? Would I want to go back to a place I don't remember?_

"Well," Kairi started, "I'm happy here. But you know, I wouldn't mind going to see it."

"Yeah, same here. Bet it would be nice to see where we come from." I said in agreement. _It wouldn't be bad. No one's stopping us. Let's do it!_

"I'd like to see them, too!" Sora added in. "Along with any other worlds out there. I wanna see them all!"

"So what are we waiting for?" Kairi asked cheerfully.

"Let's go!" I added.

"Hey! Aren't you guys forgetting about me?"

We turned around to see who joined the conversation. Standing there was a boy wearing baggy pants with a yellow, black, and dark blue tank top with a high collar. His silver hair blew in the wind, and blew over his bright green eyes. He was wearing black gloves, which helped him a lot considering the fact that he was holding a log up on his shoulders. The boy was Riku.

"So, I guess I'm the only one working on the raft." He threw the log towards Sora, who tried to catch it. Riku walked over to where Kairi and I were standing. Kairi giggled.

"And you two are just as lazy as he is." Riku said sternly while nudging towards Sora.

"Heh. So you've noticed." Kairi replied.

"About time, Riku! Sheesh." I stated jokingly, rolling my eyes.

"Okay, we'll finish it together," she declared. Then she issued us a challenge. "I'll race you!"

"Huh?" wondered Sora.

"What? Are you kidding?" asked Riku.

"I hope she is," I said. "But, you know Kairi." Sora and Riku nodded in agreement. Kairi giggled.

"Ready? GO!" she yelled.

Sora, Riku, and I looked at each other. Then, the two of them got up from their spots in a hurry. I got up a bit slower, but not by much. We ran as fast as we could so that we could win the race. _Just like when we were little_, I thought. Kairi was running right behind us, giggling as she did. _Kairi sure does seem to be in a good mood today_. We kept running, right underneath a bridge that connects the island to a smaller island, and the race ended. It was a tie. We all split up: Riku went to his usual spot on the small island, next to the paopu tree, while Sora, Kairi, and I went to get the rest of the supplies needed to build the raft. However, it felt more like it was just Sora and I getting the supplies.

xxx

"Okay! We got everything!" I said.

"Yep, that about covers it. Let's finish the raft!" replied Sora.

We gathered all the supplies we found and went to the other side of the island, where the raft was kept. After we finished the raft, we headed back to the paopu tree, where Riku was waiting for us. We took our usual seats near or on the tree—Sora sat close to the top, Kairi sat next to him, Riku stood in front of the tree next to Kairi, and I sat on the sand in front of her. The sun was beginning to set.

"Man, what a long day!" Sora exhaled as he yawned.

"Oh yeah, sure! And you did so much work." Riku said as he rolled his eyes. Kairi and I giggled.

Sora glared at me. "Hey, you can't say much!"

"True," I agreed, but then added, "However, I _did_ spar with Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka before I took that nap. I was exhausted!"

"Oh. Right." Sora blushed a little.

_Now that I think about it_, I thought, _it really wasn't that hard to beat them. How come? Where did that strength come from? Have I done that before?_ Suddenly, a picture flashed in my head. It was of a boy wearing a black and white shirt with a high collar, black and off-white baggy shorts, and armor-like shoes. He had blonde hair and deep blue eyes. He also wore straps across his chest that held a pendant. When I came out of my trance, I looked down. I had drawn the symbol in the sand.

"So, Kairi and Pyn's homes are somewhere out there, right?" Sora asked.

"Could be." Riku was the first to respond. "We'll never know by staying here."

"But how far could a raft take us?"

"Who knows? If we have to, we'll think of something else."

"Won't hurt us by trying." I added.

"So, suppose you get to another world?" Kairi asked. "What would you do there?"

"I…" Riku started, "I haven't really thought about it. I mean if there are other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one?"

_Good question_, I thought.

"And suppose there are other worlds. Then ours is just another piece of something much greater. So, we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

_I wonder. Is that what happened to me?_ I thought of the boy I had seen, the mental picture of him that I had hidden inside my mind. _Who is he?_

"I don't know." Sora said. He immediately laid back against the tree.

"Exactly! That's why we need to go out there and found out! Just sitting here won't change a thing. So let's go."

We all looked at the sunset. It was beautiful. Then Kairi, looking at Riku, asked, "You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"No thanks to you," he replied, confirming Kairi's assumption. He turned around, looked at Kairi, and then looked at me. "If you two hadn't come, then I probably wouldn't have thought of any of this. Kairi, Pyn—thanks."

"Heh. Your welcome." she said.

"Yeah, welcome." I smiled at him. With that, we all got up and headed for our boats. Since the mainland and the island we always played at weren't connected, we had to take the boats. Kairi and I walked to ours together. The boys stayed behind for a while. Something was bugging me.

"Hey, Kairi?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Do you ever get glimpses of people you've never seen before? Or, maybe you've met them before, but just don't remember?"

"Hmm…no, not really. Why do you ask?"

I thought about it for a moment. I couldn't tell her I was seeing things. "I don't know." I finally said. _She might think I'm crazy if I did tell her_.

"Oh. Okay, but I do have to ask—are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." I said. We kept walking, the boys finally catching up. We got into our boats and rowed to the main island. Riku challenged Sora to a race—as usual. We made it to the harbor, tied off our boats, and split up, each of us heading to our homes.

"See ya tomorrow guys!" I yelled.

"Bye!" They all called back.

I walked towards the orphanage, where I resided for at least nine years. The whole walk, thoughts were just swimming around in my head. _Kairi is always looking out for us, making sure we're alright. Riku, too. Sora…he's like a brother almost. Every time we hang out it feels as though we've done this forever. It felt almost…familiar. That boy I saw…Sora looks just like him._ I looked up at the stars, looking for the same three that I admired ever since I could remember. Each was a different color, different from the other stars—blue, green, and red. However, when I looked up this time, they were gone. _That's weird_, I thought. Then, a sick feeling came over me. Something didn't feel right. _For some reason, I've got a bad feeling about this_.


	3. Treasured Memories, Unexpected Visitors

Author's Note: Sorry, this is an extremely long chapter. I wanted to try to make everything that happened on the islands fit into one chapter. I really didn't want to miss anything, but if I did, please let me know. This chapter also kind of gives you an insight as to who Pyn is and what she is like. Enjoy, and please read and review!

**Chapter Two: Treasured Memories, Unexpected Visitors**

_I was walking across an open hall. Sunlight was pouring through the stain-glass window. There were stairs leading to the hall on both sides. At the top of the hall, closer to the top of the staircase on the right, were three chairs, set up more like thrones. In one of the chairs sat a man with black, graying hair and soul patch wearing a white long jacket with red trim, a dark blue shirt, and khaki pants that flared at the bottom. He wore silver straps across his chest and the armor covering his waist was of a blue-silver color. A boxy, heart-like symbol was set in the middle of the armor. His armor-like shoes were gold and black. He looked very kind and gentle, a sense of warmth emitting from him. The man sitting next to him, however, looked terrifying. He looked much older that his companion. He was bald, wearing an off-white, almost beige vest with a high collar. He wore a long black coat and black pants. On his hands he wore white gloves. He also wore high black boots. He had a small white beard and terrifying yellow eyes. When I stared into the eyes of the old man, it felt as though he were searching my soul for any weakness he could find. I ran towards the other, quite scared. Surprisingly, I knew his name. When I made it to him, he squatted down, and embraced me._

"_Master Eraqus, who is that man?" I whispered in his ear. I was enjoying the warmth of the embrace. I felt safe._

"_That is Master Xehanort. He is also a Keyblade Master…and my friend," he replied in a low voice._

"_Oh." I could hardly believe that Master Eraqus could be friends with a man like that. And that he was a Keyblade Master._

"_Now, I need you to sit here for a minute." Master Eraqus picked me up and sat me in his chair. "I'm about to start the exam."_

"_Okay." I smiled at him. He smiled softly back at me._

_When he turned around, I could see three people walk in. One of them immediately broke off from the others and stood next to one of the pillars that were in the room. It was the boy! The other two were different. The young man who walked in stood up as tall as he could, trying to hide his doubt. He wore a black and dark gray, short-sleeved shirt and long tan pants that flared at the bottom. The top of his pants, right at the waist line, was black. He wore brown and gold shoes. He had brown hair, which he had spiked up into a somewhat Mohawk. Armor covered most of his left arm and he wore a brown belt that held the same symbol that the boy and Master Eraqus were wearing. He had blue eyes. The other who walked in was a young woman with short blue hair and blue eyes. She wore a dark blue and black tank top that was turtle neck and had an open back. She wore minimal armor, save for the small pieces she wore on the upper parts of both of her arms, which clung to the tops of the white sleeves she wore. She wore black shorts and long black stocking that were halfway up her thighs. She wore blue pieces of cloth that were tied at her waist and ended halfway down her calves. She wore white ribbons that came around her waist that tied off at her sides and her back. She wore silver and black shoes and her hands were covered by black and gray gloves. The fingers of the gloves were cut off halfway, so you could actually see her fingers and thumbs. She also wore pink straps across her chest, which held the same symbol as the others. Both of them walked up to where we were sitting, or standing, and stood at attention. Even the boy stood up straight. Master Eraqus began to speak to them with an air of leadership and authority._

"_Today, you'll be examined for the Mark of Mastery," he began._

_I looked at Master Xehanort. He looked at the young man, his yellow eyes bearing down on him intently, with a crooked smile._

xxx

I woke up suddenly, the image of the old man's face still in my head. I looked over at my clock. It read 4:00 AM. I looked down and saw that I had my drawing pad out and my color pencils on my desk. On the piece of paper in front of me was the symbol I had drawn in the sand the night before and saw in my dream.

"I must have dozed off while I was drawing," I yawned. I picked up my supplies, changed into my pajamas, and went to bed. I quickly went back to sleep. _Tomorrow_, I thought, _is going to a very busy day!_

xxx

"I'm totally ready for today!" Sora exclaimed. "What about you, Pyn?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm ready," I said in reply. We were walking to our boats to meet everyone else at the island. Kairi's and Riku's boats were already gone.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," I finally said. "Let's go. We don't want to keep Riku and Kairi waiting."

"Yeah."

When we made it to the island, we noticed that Riku and Kairi weren't there. Selphie was there, fortunately.

"Hey, Selphie, have you seen Riku and Kairi?" I asked her.

"Yeah. They're on the other side of the island," she replied.

"Great. Thanks!" Sora said.

"No problem." With that, we walked off.

"I'm going to miss her," I had said when Selphie was no longer within hearing distance.

"Is that why you're a little out of it today?" Sora wondered.

"No! That's not why. It's just—"

"I'm only kidding. Come on, Pyn. Let's go see what else we need to do." Sora ran towards the door that leads to the other side of the island.

"Sure." I managed to mutter. I ran after him, but stopped mid-step. I looked at the paopu tree and smiled. Something about that tree always made me smile. It was my favorite tree, and I was going to be leaving it. As I stared at it, a voice rang in my head. _Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit, and that represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing will ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other._ I couldn't recognize the voice, but it sounded really familiar. Hearing it though felt right, that that's what I needed to hear to make me feel better. It brought a warm feeling to me. I smiled, then turned and ran to catch up to Sora.

When I finally caught up, Sora and Riku were in the middle of a race. Kairi stood at the finish line, waiting to judge who the winner would be. She looked at me and shook her head. I understood what she was saying.

"Boys," we said together. We laughed. At that moment, Sora had crossed the finish line.

"Looks like I win!" he declared.

"Chill out, Sora. It's just a race." Riku declared.

"Hey, but you said that—"

"Shouldn't we get started on the last of our preparations for our departure?" I interrupted. Sora, Riku, and Kairi looked at each other, and then nodded.

"Yeah," Kairi answered. "We still need to get provisions for the trip."

"Alright. Sora and I can go get those." I volunteered.

"Aw man," Sora droned.

"What do we need?"

"We need three mushrooms, a seagull egg, three fish, three coconuts, and a gallon of fresh water. Not from the ocean." This last bit was more directed towards Sora, who only shrugged.

"Okay, we'll be back, Kairi."

"See ya soon."

"How come you always drag me with you?" Sora asked.

"To keep you busy. Someone has to make sure that you and Riku aren't racing the day away. This is serious."

"Okay," Sora said, sounding defeated. "Let's do this."

xxx

"Alright, we just need one more mushroom," Sora said.

"Wasn't there one in the secret place?" I suggested, and wondered.

"I think so. Hey, Wakka?"

"Yeah?" Wakka answered. "What's up, ya?" Wakka had just walked out of the shack that was built on the island.

"Do you know if there are any mushrooms in the secret place?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer to that question.

"Yeah, there is."

"Told you so," I told Sora. Then to Wakka I said, "Thanks, Wakka!"

"No problem, ya?" he responded.

We walked into the secret place to get the last mushroom. It was right next to a door that was at the back of the small room. This door had no handle or knob.

"There it is!" Sora called out. He picked it up, and then stopped in his tracks. He spotted the picture that Kairi and he had drawn on the wall.

_Oh yeah. I remember that_, I thought. _I had drawn a duck on the wall that day_. I walked over to my drawing, allowing time for Sora to reminisce. While studying my sloppy excuse for a duck, I heard rock against rock. I turned around to see that he had added a drawing of a paopu fruit to the picture. In the picture now, Sora was giving Kairi a paopu fruit. Then we both heard a rustle behind us (more to the side of me) that startled us. Sora got up and turned around. So did I. I looked at the spot Sora was looking. In the shadows was a figure dressed from head to toe in a dark brown cloak. I couldn't see his face.

"Wh-who's there?" Sora asked.

"I've come to see the door to this world," the mysterious figure stated, ignoring Sora's question.

"Huh?" I wondered out loud.

"This world has been connected."

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

"Tied to the darkness. Soon to be completely eclipsed."

"Well, whoever you are, stop freaking me out like this," Sora demanded.

"Wh-where'd you come from?" I asked, a little frightened.

"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door."

"So, you're from another world?"

"There is so very much to learn. You understand so little," the mysterious man said.

"Oh yeah! Well, you'll see. We're going to go out and learn what's out there!" Sora declared.

"Yeah!" I exclaimed in agreement.

"A meaningless effort," the man said in response. "One who knows nothing can understand nothing."

Sora and I looked away from the mysterious man, and looked at the door. We maybe stared at the door for several minutes before looking away, only to notice that the man was gone.

xxx

"Took you guys long enough." Kairi said sarcastically.

"Sorry. We had trouble finding that last mushroom," I said.

"Yeah. And this weird guy showed up and told us—ow!" I nudged Sora in the side before he could say anything about the mysterious man we met in the secret place.

"Huh?" Riku said.

"Nothing," I said. "Wakka ended up helping us find it."

"Great! We have everything we need for the trip!" Kairi exclaimed. Riku and Kairi started to head for the other side of the island.

"What did you do that for, Pyn?" Sora asked me when the others were no longer within hearing distance.

"We can't tell them about the guy we met. One, they wouldn't believe us, and two, you would just worry Kairi. Especially if you tell her what he said. Even I'm worried!"

"How come?"

"I'm not sure, but something about him didn't feel right." _Something about him felt awfully familiar, too,_ I thought.

"Oh. Okay. Well, are you ready to head out?" he asked.

"Yeah. Let's go!" I said. With that, we ran to catch up with the others.

When we got to the boats, Riku and Kairi were waiting for us. "You guys ready?" Riku asked.

"Yeah!" Sora, Kairi, and I exclaimed.

"Good. We're going to need all the rest we can get. It's going to be a big day tomorrow."

"Alright. Guess I'll see you guys tomorrow, then." I said.

"Later," Riku said, already taking off in his boat.

"I'll catch up with you later." Sora said.

"Me, too." Kairi added.

I understood. "Okay. Don't stay for too long, you two!" I joked. Both of them blushed.

When I got back to the orphanage, I went in, did my evening chores, and ate. By the time I was done with that, it was nightfall, so I went to bed. However, I couldn't sleep. What the mysterious man had told Sora and I worried me. I still couldn't shake the feeling that his words were true, and that something terrible was going to happen. _What could he have meant? _I wondered. _'Tied to the darkness'? And door was he talking about? The one in the secret place?_ I laid there for hours, thinking about what it all meant. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of thunder.

"Thunder?" I thought out loud. "Must mean a storm is coming." I looked out my window to see where it was coming from, but I immediately felt despair when I looked out towards the island, and saw lightning.

"Oh no! The raft!" I exclaimed. I got out of my pajamas, and put some clothes on. I put on a purple tank top over the white on I was currently wearing. I put on a pair of black shorts that had light blue and black flaps folded over and buckled down. I put on my favorite necklace—on it was a pendant of a dragonfly with a purple stone—a few bracelets on my left wrist, and two sweat bands—a blue one on my right elbow and a purple one on the upper part of my left arm. The shoes that I put on were blue, with black straps going across the top of the shoes and across the middle of them. Once I was done getting dressed, I grabbed my goggles, climbed out of my window, and ran for my boat.

xxx

When I got to the island, Sora was already there. I saw Riku's and Kairi's boats. _They're here, too?_ I wondered.

"Where are Riku and Kairi?" I asked, worried.

"I don't know, but look!" He pointed up at the sky. I looked to where he was pointing. Sure enough, I saw the cause of the storm. Up in the sky, there was a huge black sphere with a red storm brewing inside.

"What is THAT?" I asked in terror.

"I'm not sure, but we need to find the others."

"Yeah."

Just then, black creatures began to appear, popping up from the ground. Sora and I gasped. Then we looked at each other and began running.

_It's those creatures from the dream!_ I thought.

We kept running. We ran toward the small shack and hid inside. We heard them scratching at the door, so we ran up the stairs and went out the door, which led to the bridge that connects to the small island. As we walked out, more of the creatures came. I looked over to the small island and noticed Riku was standing over there.

"Sora, over here!" I yelled. He looked at me, and then began to run towards Riku. I quickly followed. When we made it over there, the creatures stopped following us.

_Weird,_ I thought.

"Where's Kairi?" Sora asked Riku. "I thought she was with you."

"The door has opened," Riku said.

"What?" I asked.

"The door is open guys. Now we can go to the outside world!" he replied.

"What are you talking about?" Sora wondered. "We've gotta find Kairi!"

"Kairi's coming with us!" shouted Riku.

Sora and I looked at each other, shocked at what Riku was saying.

"Once we step through, we might not be able to come back. We may never see out parents again. There's no turning back. We can't let fear stop us. I'm not afraid of the darkness!" he said. He reached his hand to us.

"Riku," Sora said, worried.

All of a sudden, a huge black spot appeared underneath Riku. Sora and I ran to try and get Riku out of there, but got stuck in the spot. _This doesn't feel right,_ I thought. The words of the mysterious man rang through my head. _'Tied to the darkness. Soon to be completely eclipsed.'_ I suddenly realized that somewhere, somehow I had been in this situation before. _This seems familiar. Has this happened to me before?_ I noticed that the black creatures were coming from the black spot and grabbing a hold of Riku. They grabbed on to us, too, to make sure we couldn't move. The earth started to shake. _So this must be the darkness the strange guy was talking about,_ I thought. The darkness grew, almost engulfing all three of us. I grabbed a hold of Sora as the next quake came through. I tried to grab Riku's hand, but missed. _No!_ I thought. _ I'm not losing you, too!_ I was shocked at my own thoughts, but I didn't care. Darkness had engulfed us completely.

I thought it was over. I couldn't see anything—not Sora, not Riku. I felt alone. Then, a light shone through the darkness. In a flash, I was back on the islands with Sora, in the same spots we were in not long ago. Riku was gone.

_Where is he?_ I wondered. I felt something heavy in my hands. I looked down and saw that I was holding a sword that looked like a key. _It's the key from my dream!_ I looked over at Sora and noticed that he was carrying the same weapon as I was, just a different color. Then a voice called out to me, repeating only one word: _Keyblade_. _That sounds familiar,_ I thought.

"Did you hear that?" Sora asked me.

"Yeah, but we have no time to worry about that right now. We have to find Kairi!" I said, somewhat with authority.

Sora nodded. Just then, more of the black creatures appeared. The weapon I was holding pulled toward one of them. When the blade and the creature connected, and when it was knocked down by the blow, I knew what to do.

"Sora, do as I do!" I yelled to him.

"Okay!" he called out.

"Follow me!" I demanded.

We went in search of Kairi. She didn't seem to be anywhere else on the island. _Did she disappear just like Riku did?_ I wondered. _No, she can't have. My heart's telling me that she's still here._ I looked toward the secret place. At the entrance, there was a door blocking the entrance into the small room.

"Sora, let's try the secret place."

I ran toward the secret place, Sora close on my heels. We fought and got rid of any of the creatures that got in our way. We opened the door, and ran in. The door closed behind us. We ran down the short hallway, and found Kairi standing in front of the door at the back of the small room.

"Kairi!" We both exclaimed.

She turned around really slowly. She saw us and stopped.

"Sora," she called out. She reached out for him. At that moment, the door opened, letting out a strong wind. Sora and I tried to stand our ground and not get blown away. Kairi was unable to, and was blown towards us. Sora stepped in front of me to catch Kairi. Just as he was about to put his arms around her, she disappeared. I nearly screamed in terror. The wind blew harder. Sora and I lost our footing, and were blown away.

We were blown out of the secret place, and back outside. I gathered what strength I could, I picked myself up.

"Whoa!" was the word that came from my mouth when I saw where we were blown to. The islands were no longer there—the only part left was the small bit Sora and I were standing on. I saw Sora still lying on the ground, and helped him up. We turned around to see what other damage the storm had done, only to face a gigantic black creature.

"Sora, it's the same thing from the dream! It's real!" I yelled, still not believing what I was seeing.

"Yeah. Think we can beat it again?" he asked.

"We have to try."

We went after it, weapons raised. Sora went after the hands while I went for the feet. I was doing some damage, but not enough. I studied the creature's movements, mainly to see where the best place to attack would be. The creature bent down its head, and I threw my blade at it. It really did some damage. I had an idea.

"Sora! See if you can get it to bend down more. Keep going for the hands while I go for the head."

"Alright. Let's do this!" he called back.

After a couple more blows to the head, the creature finally fell. _We did it!_ I thought. But our victory was short lived. Because at that moment, the creature was sucked in by the sphere of darkness. We were being pulled in as well. Sora and I grabbed a hold of some wood that was sticking out of the sand. We held on with all our might. But I could hold on anymore, and could tell neither could Sora—the wind and the force of the sphere were too strong. We slipped, and were sucked in. The last thing I saw was the small bit of land that was all that was left of our home—my home.


	4. Traverse Town

Author's Note: So, I first want to say sorry for this taking so long to get this chapter out. Life's been hectic. I also want to say sorry that it is so long. I've come to the conclusion that I just need to make them shorter than the first few chapters I've written. But then again, a lot of people know that the first trip to Traverse Town explains a lot and helps everyone understand what is going on. So…that's my only excuse for this chapter being so long…enjoy!

**Chapter Three: Traverse Town**

_It didn't happen_, I thought. _It was just a dream. I'm in my room, lying in bed._ I opened my eyes, but instead of seeing my room, I saw that I had landed in a town. _That's odd. There aren't any towns like this on the islands_. Then it all came to me. The events that took on the islands, from the black creatures and Riku and Kairi disappearing to the strange red and black sphere, had actually happened.

"Oh no," I said. "That means they really _are_ gone. The islands, my friends, everyone." I got up and looked around. The area I was in was a very large space. There were two levels—on the top level, there were shops lined up, framing a large wooden door, a hotel, and a very large store. Above the door, there was a sign that read _First District_.

"That reads First District. We must be in the Second District," I began. "But Second District to where? What do you think, Sora?" No one answered.

I figured he might be asleep. "Alright, sleepyhead. Wake up!" I turned around to wake Sora up, but to my distress, he wasn't there. "Sora? Where are you?" No answer came. He was nowhere to be found.

I walked around and started to look for him. I headed up the flight of stairs that lead to the next level, and walked towards the door. Before I could walk through and get to the First District, the black creatures appeared out of nowhere.

"It's those things from the islands!" I said out loud. One attempted to attack me, but I moved out of the way just in time. As soon as I was back on my feet, I made a run for it, but they blocked my way.

"Get out of my way!" I yelled. Just then, a light shone, and I closed my eyes. My right arm felt heavier than usual. I opened my eyes, and looked down. I was holding on to the key weapon I had been using earlier on the islands and in my dream. It came alive for second, aiming itself towards the creatures.

_It seems to know what to do,_ I thought. _It must be the key to getting rid of those things_. I them began to dispose of the creatures, removing them from my path. All the while, I heard a word ringing through my head: Keyblade.

When the creatures were gone, I walked through the wooden doors and into the next area. The First District was smaller than the second, but not by much. There were fewer shops. I took another flight of stairs to get to the next landing, when I overheard a conversation between two people, or rather, between a duck and a dog. A yellow dog was tailing them from behind. There was something on the duck's shoulder.

"Hey, now were in Traverse Town!" the dog exclaimed.

"Great!" the duck said. "Now, where's that 'key'?"

"Ya know, maybe we ought to go find Leon."

"Oh boy," the duck's shoulder said. "I'm going to be busy writing everything down."

_What key is he talking about? Could he be talking about my blade?_ I wondered. _And who's Leon?_ My curiosity got the better of me, so I walked over to them to see if I could find out more.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I overheard you say something about a key," I said.

At the mere mention of "the key", the duck began shaking his hands and head. "Uh, no. Nothing about a key," he said

"Yes you did, Donald. We're here to look for it, remember?" the dog replied. The duck sighed, slapped his hand on his forehead, and shook his head.

I giggled. "Well, I was wondering if this was the 'key'." I summoned the blade I had been using, which to my surprise caused the others to jump.

"That must be it!" the duck squawked. He smiled. "Boy are we glad to see you!"

"Yeah, now all we gotta do is find Leon!" the dog announced. The duck nodded vigorously. Then he turned to me and asked, "Will you help us?"

"I'm not sure what's going on exactly," I replied. "Do you think you guys could fill me in?" Both of them nodded.

They told me about how their king had gone missing, and about the letter he had left for them, along with instructions on what they needed to do. That the worlds are in danger. They were told to find "the key to our survival" and that they needed to find Leon and ask for his help. They had found the key, and now they just needed to find Leon.

"Do you understand now?" the duck asked.

"Yes, but I have one question," I started. "Who are you guys?"

"Oh sorry," the dog began. "My name is Goofy. I'm captain of the King's knights."

"And I'm Donald Duck! I'm the King's Royal Magician. The dog there is Pluto, and this," he pointed to his shoulder. "This is Jiminy Cricket, the King's royal chronicler." Jiminy jumped and waved at me.

"I'm Pynelopie, but my friends just call me Pyn."

"Nice to meetcha, Pyn!"

"Well, we should probably go look for Leon then. I also have to find my friends. They went missing when our world was destroyed," I suggested. _At least, I think that's what happened_.

Donald and Goofy looked at each other, and then looked at me. "I don't know if we will have time," Donald said.

"Come on! We have plenty of time to find them and Leon!" Then I thought about what to say to convince them to help me look for Sora, Riku, and Kairi. It hit me like the time Kairi hit Sora on the back of his spikey head. "My friend Sora also has a key, just like I do."

That did the trick. Donald gave in, and we began searching. We were making our way up the stairs when Pluto went wandering into an alleyway between the items shop and the accessories shop. Goofy stopped and watched.

"Ya know, Donald, I betcha that-" he began.

"What do you know, ya big palooka?" Donald interrupted. I only shrugged.

"What do I know?" he began. "Hmmm, come on, Pluto!" Goofy ran to catch up to us.

"Come on, Goofy. He'll catch up to us," I said reassuringly. "I'm sure of it."

xxx

We had walked around through all three districts of the town, but we didn't get any results. We called out to both Leon and Sora, but no one answered. We were walking through an alleyway that was connected to the Second District. It was completely abandoned.

"Gawrsh, there's nobody here," Goofy said, stating the obvious. "Sure is spooky."

"Wonder where everybody is," I said, looking at Goofy, then looking around. "Kinda creepy with no one here."

"Aww, phooey!" Donald started. "I'm not scared—WAHHH!" Donald jumped onto Goofy's back, clinging on for dear life. I was startled, and hid in front of Goofy. I felt bad for using him as a shield. I felt worse when I saw what had caused Donald to jump. Standing behind us was a young woman wearing a pink bow in her hair, and brown boots.

"Excuse me," she said softly. "Did the King send you?" We all looked at her. She was smiling. "My name is Aerith. You can trust me, I promise."

Donald got off Goofy's back, and they looked at each other. Then Donald said, "The King did send us. We're looking for Leon."

Aerith smiled. "I thought you might be. The King said just as much."

"Wait," I said. "You know the King?"

"He sent us a letter," she confirmed.

"Oh. But-"

She stopped me right there. "I promise that I will answer any questions you have. But we need to get someplace safe where we can talk."

The three of us merely nodded.

xxx

"You have a nice room, Aerith," I said, observing the oriental decorations covering the hotel room.

"Thank you," she said. She was pouring tea for all four of us. "It's been my home since I lost my world nine years ago."

"You lost your world, too?"

She nodded. "But aren't you from the same world as they are?" She pointed to Donald and Goofy.

"No," I responded. "I'm not." I took a drink of my tea. It was okay, but it tasted different. _Did Aerith put milk in this?_ I wondered.

"Oh, well, hopefully I will be able to answer your questions," she said. She paused and looked at us, waiting for our questions.

We just looked at her. I broke the silence. "So, there are different worlds?" My question was said more as a statement.

Aerith nodded. "Okay," she began. "You know there are other worlds out there, besides your castle, your islands, and this town, right?" Jiminy hopped off of Donald's shoulder and got out a tiny book and started writing in it.

"Yeah," Donald replied.

"But they're supposed to be a secret!" Goofy stated, covering his mouth.

"They've _been_ secret," Aerith said. "Because they've never been connected, until now. When the Heartless came, everything changed."

I looked at Donald and Goofy, hoping they would know what she was talking about. They only shrugged. "The Heartless?" I asked.

"They are creatures that are created from the darkness and the darkness in people's hearts. That's what attracts them." Then, in a grave tone, she added, "And there is darkness in every heart." Jiminy was writing furiously.

_So that's what they're called_, I thought. "So basically, they're after the hearts?" I asked.

"In a way, yes." Aerith hesitated, as if that wasn't the right answer. She became silent for a moment, as if she were searching for a better answer. Her next statement may or may not have been the answer she was looking for. "If only Ansem hadn't continued on with those experiments."

"Ansem?" Goofy asked. The three of us were confused.

"He was studying the Heartless," she began. "He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report." I heard a small crack come from Jiminy's general direction. He must have broken his pencil, because I heard him say "Dang it!" I turned around and saw that he had found another. He began writing again.

"Gawrsh, can we see it?"

Aerith shook her head. "Its pages are scattered everywhere."

"Scattered?" Donald squawked.

"Too many worlds."

"Oh, then maybe the King went to find them," Goofy suggested.

"Yes," Aerith said. "Those were my thoughts exactly."

"We better find him quick!"

"Wait!" Donald stopped him. "First, we need that 'key'!"

"Ahem!" Donald turned around and looked at me. "Oh, right," he said, then added, "The other 'key'."

"That's right!" Aerith said. "The Keyblade."

"The Keyblade?" I put my cup of tea down and summoned the blade to my side. "So, this is the Keyblade?"

"Yes. The Heartless will stop at nothing to get at it. That's why they'll come after you, no matter what."

"They want it gone?"

"They're afraid of it," she said. "But I think my friends Leon and Yuffie will be able to answer more than I can. They're in the next room." She pointed to a green and yellow door behind us. Donald walked over to enter the room, until the door was slammed open by a girl running into Aerith's room. I only got a glimpse of her—she had short black hair and was wearing a bandana around her forehead.

"Yuffie!" Aerith called out. She ran after the girl. Goofy and I walked towards the door, to make sure that Donald was alright. I moved to close the door a little, only to find a somewhat flattened Donald behind it, shocked with his arms up.

xxx

Donald, Goofy and I walked around town to figure out what all the commotion was, and to find Leon once again. After Yuffie ran out, we check the room next to Aerith's to go talk to him, but he wasn't there. We walked around the Second District. While walking around, we found a shortcut that lead us to a balcony in the Third District. I almost turned everyone around, until the Heartless showed up. Instead of being small shadows, like the ones I had seen, these ones were bigger, just about as tall as me. They were dressed like soldiers, and had what I assumed was their insignia on their front.

"Gawrsh, are these the Heartless guys?" Goofy asked, pulling out his shield.

"Let's go get them, Goofy!" Donald said while pulling out his staff.

I merely summoned the Keyblade, ready for action. I nodded. "Yeah!"

Just then, one of them did a spinning attack. Goofy blocked it, but it was still powerful enough to send us flying off of the balcony. We landed with a thud, on top of—

"Sora!" I exclaimed.

"Oh, the key!" Donald and Goofy cried. _The other one at least_, I thought.

We all got up off the ground and each other, dusting the dirt off of our clothes. Then, we heard a rumbling sound. Concrete barriers appeared out of the ground, blocking every entrance. More of the soldier-like Heartless appeared. We each bared our weapons, and charged after them. What we thought would be easy going turned out to be too easy. When the last one was gone, an even bigger Heartless appeared. This one was completely covered in armor, with its head, arms, and feet moving around all over the place. Making sure we were taken care of, Donald healed all of us.

Then we charged. Sora and Goofy went after the feet while Donald and I went for the arms. The arms attacked us with a spin attack, and the feet stomped around to do some damage to Sora and Goofy. I dodged the arms, but was hit by one of the feet when it tried to kick Sora. He had dodged out of the way.

"Sorry, Pyn!" he called out.

"Never mind that! Look out!"

But it was too late. Sora got scratched by one of the arms. I went after it, and gave it two or three good hits with my Keyblade. It came at me, but I dodged it. Sora went at it, completely destroying the arm. Donald hit the other with a couple of smacks from his staff and ended with three fireballs. The other arm was gone. When both feet were gone, we all aimed for the torso. It spun at us, sending us flying in every direction. I did a back flip and landed on my feet. _Where did that came from?_ I wondered. Donald sent a Cure in everybody's direction, and we continued to smack it around. After what seemed like twenty minutes of dodging, attacking, and healing (maybe five or six shots of fireballs from Donald), the Heartless finally fell, disappearing in a burst of darkness, leaving behind nothing but a translucent heart, which rose towards the sky and disappeared.

xxx

"Pyn! I've been looking all over for you!" Sora exclaimed.

"Me too!" I said. Then it came to me. "Where's Riku and Kairi?"

He bowed his head. I got the hint. He had no idea either. Donald and Goofy walked over to where we were standing. "Boy are we glad to see you!" Goofy said.

"So, you've been looking for me?" Sora asked.

Donald and Goofy nodded, saying "Yeah."

Three people had walked up to join us at this point. Two of them I recognized—one was Aerith. The other one was Yuffie, the girl who had practically run Donald over with a door. I got a better look at her. She was wearing a short, yellow tank top with green shorts. She had on orange shoes and wore off-white, knee-high stockings. I didn't know who the man was. He had long, spikey brown hair. He was wearing a black, short sleeve over shirt on top of his white tank top and black pants with black boots. He had on several belts, and around his neck I noticed a silver lion's head pendant.

"They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade," the man said.

"Really, Leon?" Sora asked

_So that's Leon!_ I thought.

"Hey," Goofy began. "Why don't you and Pyn come with us? We can go to other worlds in our vessel!"

I nodded. Sora said, "I wonder if we could find Riku and Kairi."

_Who knows?_ I wondered.

"Of course!" Donald said. Sora picked up his head and stopped brooding.

I saw Goofy lean down to ask Donald something, but their whispers were so low that I couldn't hear what they were saying.

"Sora, Pyn, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends," Leon suggested.

Sora's head was bowed again. He sighed and said, "I guess."

"Sure!" I said, trying to be more upbeat. "It might be fun to see other worlds." _Like we were going to in the first place. But why do I get the feeling that I have before?_ I wondered.

"Alright," Donald said. He shook a finger at Sora's general direction. "But you can't come along looking like that, understand? No frowning, no sad face, okay?"

"Yeah," Goofy agreed. "You gotta look funny, like us!"

Donald pushed him out of the way. "This boat runs on happy faces!"

"Happy?" Sora asked.

We all waited to see what Sora would do. His head was still bowed, so Donald, Goofy, and I bent down to see whether or not he was trying to smile. But he surprised us when he picked his head up, making the funniest face we had ever seen. We laughed. I was laughing so hard it was making me cry.

"That's one funny face!" Goofy exclaimed. Then the three of them looked at me. I tried to make the funniest face I could, but all I ended up doing was smiling really big. That seemed to work well.

"Okay," Sora said. "Why not? I'll go with you guys!" He turned to me, and asked, "What about you, Pyn?"

"Oh yeah," I said. "Definitely!"

The others introduced themselves. "Donald Duck!" Donald stuck his hand out.

"Name's Goofy!" he put his hand on top of Donald's. I did the same.

Sora put his hand on top of mine. "I'm Sora," he said.

"All for one and one for all!" Goofy said.

We all headed for the First District to stock up on supplies. We went to the small items shop, where we bought the best items we could find. However, I had to hold on to our munny so that Sora didn't spend it all on things we didn't need (he was eying a huge set of armor, which was beyond what we could afford anyway). We also met Donald's nephews, who were running the shop. It was weird for me, because it felt like I had seen them somewhere before.

We met Leon, Aerith, and Yuffie outside near a large wooden door that lead to where Donald and Goofy's ship was parked. They gave us some extra munny to top off what we already had an an Elixir. Aerith said that they were rare. Donald taught Sora and I how to use Fire, and Goofy taught us how to do a special dodge.

"Well," I said. "I guess we should head out.

"Yeah," Donald agreed, "The sooner we find the King, the better."

"Hey, maybe we should look for those reports that Ansem wrote. That way we know a little more about the Heartless as we go along."

"Good idea!" Sora exclaimed.

"But we don't know where to start," Goofy stated.

"Here," Leon said. "This should help you get started." He handed me a piece of paper. Jiminy hopped onto my shoulder to see what it was. Sora, Donald, and Goofy gathered around me to get a closer look.

"Well, I'll be!" Jiminy cried out. "It's one of Ansem's reports."

"We found it in one of the alleyways when we first arrived here," Yuffie said. This report tells you what all the different types of Heartless are and the differences between them."

"That'll come in handy!" I folded it up and put it in my pocket, planning on reading it and giving it to Jiminy to write down while we were in the Gummi Ship (as Donald had told me it was called).

"Well," Donald said. "We really have to go now or we'll never get started!"

We said our goodbyes and walked through the door to get to the Gummi Ship. As the doors closed, I could make out three small dots in the distance. I simply waved.


	5. Wonderland

Author's Note: Well, so much for shorter chapters. I guess everybody is different. But anyway…

To answer forevermagik13's question, there is a reason why Pyn's dreaming about BBS stuff, but I'm hoping to explain that later.

I don't think I have anything else to say…except enjoy!

**Chapter Four: Wonderland**

"_I have unlocked the Lanes Between." Master Eraqus said. "You may use these forbidden pathways to travel between this world and countless others. The darkness looms closer than usual within these spaces, but your armor will protect you."_

_The young woman in blue and the young man in black, brown, and gold nodded. "Also," Master Eraqus added. "Remember that order must be kept. You cannot tell anyone there are other worlds."_

_He dismissed them. The young man left in a considerable hurry, but the young woman lingered a bit. Master Eraqus didn't notice._

_Throughout the entire conversation, I was still sitting in his chair. I hadn't paid too much attention to what he said, because I knew that none of it really concerned me. I knew there would be a time when he would tell me the same thing. However, the bits and pieces I did hear concerned me. What beings of darkness was he talking about? Are the Princesses of Heart going to be alright? What if they couldn't get there on time, that they were too late? _

_Master Eraqus had mentioned that Master Xehanort had disappeared. His disappearance was what concerned me most of all. He disappeared just as this new threat appeared. Is he somehow connected? Master Eraqus must have sensed something was wrong, and walked over to me._

"_Is everything alright, Pyn?" he asked._

"_I don't know," I said. Then I expressed my fears. "Do you think that Master Xehanort's connected somehow?"_

"_That's a serious question coming from someone who is only four years old," he stated. "But I do see where you are coming from. You are very wise for your age."_

_I beamed up at him. I looked away from him just in time to see the young woman leave the room. I was really sad, and worried._

"_Pyn," Master Eraqus called out. "Pyn!"_

_His voice became faint. "Pyn!"_

_It suddenly became a woman's voice, and grew softer. "Pyn." Then it became a boy's. "Pyn!"_

xxx

_Gummi Ship_

"Pyn! Wake up!"

I opened my eyes and sat up straight. Sora had been shaking me, trying to wake me up. I had been in a deep sleep, and I was crying.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, drying my eyes. "I'm fine."

I got up from where I had fallen asleep and walked over to where Jiminy was standing. He was looking over the part of Ansem's report that Leon had given us. He was writing furiously in his journal.

"So," he began, noticing that I was awake. "We now know the categories of Heartless, and what each type is. There's the Pureblood Heartless, which are more like the Shadows, and the Emblem Heartless, which—"

"Have the insignias on them," I interrupted him. "So, so far we have only dealt with the Shadows and the Soldiers."

"And Guard Armor," Goofy said. "Don't forget that one."

"Yeah," Jiminy said. He paused for a moment, and then said, "I think I will just write them down as we encounter them. It'll probably be easier."

"Yeah, that way you don't have to write so much at one time," Sora added.

"We suddenly heard a beeping sound. I walked over to where Donald was sitting (he was driving) to see what was going on. A part of the world map was lit up.

"Is that where we're headed?" I asked. "Wonderland?"

"Yep," Donald responded. He was concentrating on driving and shooting down the Heartless Gummis.

"Look out the window, Pyn!" Sora called out. "We're almost there."

I looked out my window and saw it for my own eyes. There it was to our right. Since the exit door was on the left, Donald had to do some fancy maneuvering to park the ship.

"Alright," he said. "We're going to leave the ship one at a time. I'll go first."

We were lined up at the door, ready to leave. Donald opened up the door and started to walk out. I was second in line, and noticed that there was no floor. I looked at Donald and yelled, "Donald, wait! Look out!"

But it was too late. He took a step, and plummeted. The rest of us, in trying to get Donald back up, followed suit.

We were falling down a hole, as it turned out, at a medium speed. When we reached the bottom, Sora, Donald, and I landed on our feet. Goofy, on the other hand, landed face first. He tried to get up, but was quickly pinned down by a white rabbit in a waistcoat, holding a watch, ran right over him.

He seemed to be in a hurry. As he passed us, we could hear him say, "Oh. My fur and whiskers! I'm late! I'm late! I'm late!"

_Late for what?_ I wondered.

"Oh dear, oh dear! I'm here. I should be there!" we continued to hear him say. "Oh, the Queen! She'll have my head for sure!" With that, he disappeared behind a corner.

"What did he mean," I asked. "By 'have my head'?"

The other just shook their heads and shrugged.

"Hmmmm. Let's follow him. Then at least we'll know what he's late for and who this Queen is."

We were all in agreement. We followed the path the rabbit had taken, which lead us to a small room. When we got there, the rabbit was gone.

"Where—?" Sora had started, but I softly nudged him to show him where the rabbit was. He had shrunk several sizes smaller, and had gone through a small door, bug enough for a kitten to crawl through. We walked over to the door and bent down to investigate.

"How did he get so small?" Sora asked out loud.

The doorknob on the door became animated and said, "No, you're simply too big."

We all jumped. "Wak! It talks!" Donald quacked.

The doorknob yawned. "Must you be so loud? You woke me up."

Goofy waved and said, "Good morning!"

"Good night!' The doorknob yawned again. "I need a bit more sleep."

"Wait," Sora said. "What do we have to do to grow small?"

"Why don't you try the bottle, over there." He gestured behind us. We looked behind, and a table with two bottles appeared out of nowhere.

We stood up and walked over to the table. There was a red bottle and a blue one. There were pictures on them, indicating which bottle was for which purpose. We chose the blue bottle, and took turns drinking the mysterious substance. Within seconds, we were shrinking to the size of a mouse.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed. "This feels so weird!"

"Yeah," Sora said. "Now I kinda know what a mouse or a gerbil feel when they are roaming around in an open area like this."

"Like it's going to get trampled?"

Sora nodded. "Yeah!"

"Well, hopefully we won't."

"Why's that?" Donald asked.

"Because of those guys." I pointed to the group of Heartless that just appeared. It included Shadows, Soldiers, and a Red Rhapsody.

"Well," Goofy started. "Maybe they'll get trampled."

"Let's make sure that's what happens," Sora chimed in.

The battle didn't last long. There were a few minor cuts and bruises, but nothing too big. When the last of that group was gone, we took cover through a purple doorway. On the other side of that doorway was a courtyard of some kind—literally. We could see lines of cards standing at attention. There was a podium in the middle with a girl in a blue dress standing next to it. In front of her, sitting in a high set throne, was a plump woman wearing a black and red dress, her sleeves rolled up, holding a heart shaped scepter.

We noticed a small figure racing up a set of stairs, carrying a horn. It was none other than the white rabbit we were following.

He blew on the horn. "Court is now in session!" he announced.

"I'm on trial?" the girl asked. "But why?"

He took a deep breath, and then said, "Her Majesty, the Queen of Hearts, presiding."

The woman from the high throne looked at the girl and said, "This girl is the culprit. There's no doubt about it. And the reason is…because I say so that's why!"

"That is son unfair!" the girl cried out.

The Queen smirked. "Well, have you anything to say in your defense?"

"Of course! I've done absolutely nothing wrong." The white rabbit covered his mouth, shocked by her words. She continued. "You may be queen, but I'm afraid that doesn't give you the right to be so…so mean!"

"Silence! You dare defy me?"

Sora pulled us in closer and whispered, "Hey guys, we should help her out."

"Yeah, but the—" Donald began.

Goofy interrupted him. "We're outsiders, so wouldn't that be muddling?"

"Meddling!" Donald corrected him.

"A-hyuck! Yeah, and that's against the rules."

"So, we can only just sit here?" I asked. The two of them nodded, and watched the trial further.

"The court finds the defendant guilty as charged!" the Queen concluded. "For the crimes of assault, and attempted theft of my heart—"

Sora and I gasped at this part and looked at each other. We were thinking the same thing, because we whispered to the others "The Heartless!"

"We can't just sit here anymore!" I whispered. "She's getting blamed for something she didn't do."

"I don't think that queen is giving her any reasonable doubt." Sora said.

"Off with her head!" the Queen commanded.

"No! No!" the girl cried. "Oh, please!"

Right as the cards were about to carry out the dark deed, Sora and I ran up to save the girl. "Hold it right there!" he demanded.

"Who are you?" the Queen asked. "How dare you interfere with my court!"

"Excuse me," Sora said. "But we know who the real culprit is."

"Uh-huh," Goofy agreed. "It's the Heart—" He caught himself before he could say anything, and covered his mouth.

"Well, anyway, she's not the one you're looking for."

"That's nonsense!" the Queen disagreed. "Have you any proof?"

Sora and I looked at each other. "Uh…" we both said.

The Queen snapped her fingers, and the card soldiers grabbed hold of the girl and put her in a cage next to the high throne. I walked over to her As I did, the Queen said, "Bring me evidence of Alice's innocence. I will look over it and decide whether she is guilty or not."

"Is that your name?" I asked the girl. "Is it Alice?"

"Yes," the girl said.

"Don't worry. We're gonna help you, I promise," I reassured her.

"Thank you, but I don't think that the Queen will even really consider you r evidence. Once she's made up her mind, she's hard to please."

I nodded and then thought about it. "It sure seems that way, but we'll do everything we can to help you out of here."

Then one of the cards shut the curtain that was part of the cage. "No communicating with the prisoner. You may speak with her once a verdict has been given."

I walked away, and ran after the others. We headed for an opening that lead into a forest. As we entered, we passed through light bushes that got heavier the further we went.

I turned around to see if I could get a glimpse of the courtyard. It turns out I could just barely make it out. But I felt someone grab me by the wrist, and turned to notice that it was Goofy.

"Don't worry, Pyn. We're gonna get her outta here!"

I smiled, knowing that he was trying to make me feel better. But I turned to look back at the courtyard anyway, which was now slowly disappearing. I frowned, having the sinking feeling that I was never going to see Alice again.


	6. To Our Surprise!

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to put this chapter up. I've been busy with chores around the house, and work. Also, I had been playing Assassin's Creed Brotherhood and Alice: Madness Returns. And I was kinda stuck on how I wanted to write this chapter (playing Alice is probably what prompted me to finish writing this chapter. But then again, who knows).

But anywho…

I don't really have much more to say 'cept enjoy!

**Chapter Five: To Our Surprise!**

We made it out of the heavier bushes and into a clearing. Even though there was little light, I could make out tall grass, mushrooms, and lily pads that were towering over us.

"So this is the Lotus Forest," I said.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stood there, gaping at me.

"What?"

"How do you know where we are?" Sora asked.

"Because there's a sign over there." I pointed over to a sign that was posted right next to a flower. They looked and saw clearly written on it, _Lotus Forest_.

"Oh," he said.

We walked on for about two seconds before we saw a strange sight. Bobbing around, disappearing and then reappearing was a pink and purple cat head. We watched to see where it would appear next. After the third or fourth time, the cat appeared on top of a tree stump.

"Wak! Who are you?" Donald asked.

"Who, indeed?" the cat replied. "Poor Alice. Soon to lose her head and she's not guilty of a thing."

"Hey," Sora began. "If you know who the culprit is, then tell us."

Donald and I shook our heads vigorously.

The cat spoke again. "The Cheshire Cat has all the answers, but doesn't always tell. The answer, the culprit, the cat all lie in darkness." With that, the Cheshire Cat disappeared.

"Wait!" Sora and I called out.

Even though he was gone, we could still hear the cat speaking. "They've already left the forest. I won't tell which exit. There are four pieces of evidence in all. Three are a cinch to find. The fourth is tricky. Big reward if you find them all."

It was a while before anyone said anything. Donald spoke up. "Should we trust him?"

The cat's head appeared yet again. This made Donald jump. "To trust or not to trust? I'll trust you to decide." He then disappeared.

"But where should we start looking for the evidence?" I asked.

"Hmmm," Goofy began. "Maybe we should spread out to look for it. Maybe that will go a lot faster."

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "Remember, Alice is counting on us!"

The rest of us nodded. We split up, each of us going in a different direction. I started in the direction of the _Tea Party Garden_ (that's what the sign said anyway) when I turned around and called out to Donald, "Hey, make sure you don't get too scared, Donald!"

Sora, Goofy, and I laughed when we heard Donald grumbling.

I made my way through a patch of tall grass and into a clearing. I looked around the area for any evidence I could. I looked under rocks, which would normally be the size of a pebble, and on top of the mushrooms. I didn't find any evidence.

I almost gave up when I heard something rustling in the bush. I turned in the sound's general direction and saw a boy standing there, looking straight at me. I saw a boxy-heart emblem on his chest and immediately knew who it was. It was the boy from my dreams!

He turned around and ran.

"Hey, wait!" I called after him. I broke out in a run.

I went winding through tall grass and through some mushrooms, trying to catch up to him. I had so many questions to ask him. Questions like, "What's your name?", "Who are the young woman and young man?", "Who is Master Eraqus?", and "Why do I keep having these dreams?" These were the questions I needed answers to. By the time I felt I had caught up with him, he disappeared.

"Where'd he go?" I asked myself. I looked around and saw that I was in a little clearing with a cottage and a long table. It looked like it was set up for a party. It was the Tea Party Garden.

"Oh, I'm here!" I forgot about the boy, and began to look for evidence. It really didn't take me long to find it. It was in a pink box by the head of the table. I picked it up, and ran out of the clearing. I headed back to the entrance into the forest, where the four of us agreed to meet up with our piece of evidence. As I headed back, I couldn't help but look behind me. I was hoping to see the boy again.

xxx

"So let's put all of our evidence together," Sora said. The rest of us nodded.

We set them in the middle of our circle. Four pink boxes grew into each other and became one huge, pink box.

Just then, the Cheshire Cat appeared in the middle of the ring. It was Donald, Sora, and I who jumped this time.

"Well, look what you've found. Nice going!" the Cheshire Cat said.

"Yeah," I said.

"Now we can save Alice," Sora added.

"Don't be so sure!" the Cheshire Cat cautioned. "She may be innocent, but what about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I won't tell. But I'll give you something."

He disappeared, leaving behind something blue and shimmery. I picked it up and read the inscription.

"Blizzard?" I wondered out loud. "It must be a spell. This may come in handy."

"A-hyuck! Yeah!" Goofy agreed.

We passed it around for everyone to see. Then we turned our attention to the box.

"Wonder what's in it," Donald said.

I bent down closer to the box. I was stupid and curious enough to open the box. Out popped a Soldier Heartless.

We jumped away from it and summoned our weapons. The Heartless ran in the direction of the courtyard.

"Quick!" I said. "After it!" Everyone followed suit.

xxx

We made it back to the courtyard in time to see the Heartless making its way towards the Queen. I was the first one to it, and slashed it with my Keyblade. It disappeared right before the Queen's eyes.

"What in the world was that?" the Queen asked.

"That," I breathed, "Was your evidence."

"Alice is innocent," Sora said.

From where I was standing, I could hear the Queen growling.

"Silence!" she yelled. "I am the law here! Article 29: anyone who defies the queen is guilty!"

"That's crazy!" Donald quacked, stomping up and down.

"Guards! Seize them at once!"

The scenery of the courtyard changed as well. The podium that was in the center disappeared and a tower took its place. One of the cards ran up to it and turned the wheel—Alice's cage rose to where we couldn't reach it.

I could hear the Queen yell, "If they touch that tower, you'll lose your heads!" I knew what to do at that point.

"Guys, do what I do!" Then I began to practically attack the tower. The others saw me doing this and then did the same. The cards ran at us, weapons bared. I turned around and smacked the closest one with my Keyblade. He was knocked out, and the others who had decided to come after me were as well. The more we hit that tower, the lower the cage came. When the tower was destroyed, the cage finally came down to our level.

Sora and I ran up to the cage, ready to set Alice free. But when the curtain was drawn back, we were bummed to see no Alice. She was gone.

"She must have gotten kidnapped while we were fighting," Donald observed.

The Queen was furious. "You fools!" she yelled towards the card guards. "Find the one who's behind this! I don't care how!"

During her tirade, the four of us slipped into the Lotus Forest. At that point, I felt really sorry for the cards.

xxx

The moment we entered the forest, the Cheshire Cat decided to make his entrance.

"Have you seen Alice?" Donald asked. Surprisingly, he didn't jump.

_Maybe he got used to it_, I thought.

"Alice, no. Shadows, yes!"

"Where did they go?" Goofy asked.

"This way? That way? Does it matter? Left, right, up, down! All mixed up thanks to the shadows! Step deeper into the forest to the deserted garden. You might find the shadows in the upside-down room!" With that, the Cheshire Cat disappeared.

"Well, that sure was helpful!" Donald exclaimed. "More like confusing!"

"Maybe not, Donald," I said.

He looked at me with a puzzled expression. "Huh?"

"He mentioned a 'deserted garden'. I found a piece of evidence in a deserted Tea Party Garden. There was a cottage there."

I saw the light bulb in Sora's head light up. "So, if we enter the cottage, that should take us to the upside-down room!"

I nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

"But where is the garden?" Goofy asked.

I beckoned them to follow me. We got there in no time, and opened the door to the cottage. We walked through, and wound up in a strange room. I looked all around. It took me awhile to figure out where exactly we were. Then it hit me.

"We're in the Bizarre Room!"

"Huh?' Sora asked. "How?"

"Remember," Goofy began. "The Cheshire Cat said we needed to go to the upside-down room."

"Yeah, but—"

"It's the Bizarre Room, only upside-down!" I exclaimed.

As if to confirm that we were in the right room, the Cheshire Cat appeared on a ledge right above us. "They're hiding somewhere. And the momeraths outgrabe. Want to find the shadows? Try turning on the light." He disappeared.

I climbed up on the ledge to find any light switches. Sora followed. He was the first to find them.

"There are lamps over there," he said. He pointed to two lamps that usually act as the room's overhead lights. He jumped over to one of them—I, the other. Using the Keyblades, we turned the lights on.

The Cheshire Cat appeared once more, saying, "All the lights are on. You'll see the shadows soon. They'll arise in this room, but somewhere else. The shadows might go after that doorknob, too."

He disappeared, leaving his last statement ringing in my ears. I ran towards the next opening I saw, hoping it would lead to a right-side-up Bizarre Room. The others looked at me as though I had lost my mind.

"Where are you going, Pyn?" I heard Sora ask me. "Pyn!"

I glimpsed back briefly, and saw them standing there. "I'm going after whatever's going after the Doorknob!"

I heard footsteps behind me. They were coming too.

Xxx

We had to pass through the Queen's Court in order to get to the Bizarre Room. We made sure to steer clear of the cards.

When we got there, I saw the Cheshire Cat sitting on top of the table. I ran to the chair and used it to get to the top of the table. Sora, Donald, and Goofy followed quickly behind me.

We walked up to the cat, hoping he would show us where the "shadows" were. The only thing he seemed to be doing was smiling.

He stood up and was bouncing. "The shadows should be here soon. Are you prepared for the worst? If not, too bad!"

"What?" I asked.

Suddenly, a giant Heartless appeared out of nowhere. It was really tall, skinny, and had at least seven faces. It was holding two juggling pins.

"Whoa, what Heartless is THAT?"

Jiminy popped his head out of Sora's hood. "That's a Trickmaster Heartless—WHOA HOO!" He ducked back into the hood as the Trickmaster attacked us with one of the pins. We ducked out of the way just in time to avoid being hit by it. But in doing that, we fell to the floor.

I looked up at the giant Heartless, trying to determine its weak spot. I remembered that you should always aim for either the head, or…

"Guys!" I called out to the others. "Try aiming for the stomach! That might bring it down!"

That's exactly what we did. Donald and I put Blizzard to good use and aimed it at the juggling pins (by this time, the Trickmaster decided to put the pins on fire and try to hit us with them). Sora and Goofy jumped up and put in a few good hits to the stomach. I jumped up onto the top of the table and threw my Keyblade at its stomach. When it came back, I jumped, grabbed a hold of it, and smack the Heartless in its weak spot. This knocked the wind out of it, and it crumpled over trying to recover. Everyone took this opportunity to attack the stomach even more, and to smack it in the head. This, however, wasn't enough to keep it down. It regained its strength and attacked us by putting itself on fire and spinning around. I got knock back by it pretty bad. I turned around and cast Blizzard, hoping that would slow it down. It did, and when it stopped spinning, I took the time to pop open a Potion. I felt the effects of that immediately.

"Alright, guys," I started. "On the count of three, we all cast Blizzard on it. It's weak enough that this just might bring it down."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded in agreement. We each aimed our weapons at the creature heading straight for us. We looked at each other, and then focused on it.

"One," I said.

The Trickmaster took more notice of us.

"Two."

It got closer. I was almost looking straight up at the ceiling.

"THREE!"

With that, we all shouted "Blizzard!" and froze the Heartless in its spot. I looked at Sora, and he nodded, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. We ran up to it, jumped, and thrust our Keyblades into its small abdomen. In that moment, it shattered. We landed on our feet and admired our handiwork. Behind us, Donald and Goofy were jumping for joy and ran over to us. I sighed, relieved that it was over. I looked over at Sora and noticed that he was huffing and puffing.

"Sora!"

"Huh?" he asked.

I threw him a HI-Potion in his direction. Thankfully he caught it, because it was the only one I had. "Looks like you could use that."

"Thanks," he said, downing the drink.

We heard a yawn behind us. We turned around and saw that the Doorknob had woken up.

"Did he sleep the entire time we were fighting?" Donald asked, a tad irritated. We gathered next to the Doorknob.

"What a racket. How's a doorknob to get any sleep?"

He yawned again. There was something different in his yawn this time. We looked closer, and saw a small keyhole. It began to shimmer.

"What the—" I began.

Suddenly, the keyhole and both Keyblades shone brightly. Our Keyblades pulled us towards the keyhole, shooting out beams of light that merged into one. We heard a click, and the keyhole disappeared.

"What was that?" Donald asked.

"You hear that?" Sora asked. "It sounded like something closed."

A small red block popped out of the Doorknobs mouth as it yawned for the third time.

"It's a Gummi!" Donald exclaimed.

"A what?" Sora asked.

"That's what the Gummi Ship is made out of."

"Oh, okay. Got it," he said, smiling and giving a thumbs up.

"This Gummi ain't like the others," Goofy stated. "No, sir."

"Okay," Donald said. "I'll hold on to it."

He picked it up and put it in his pocket.

I heard a rustle behind us, and turned around. The Cheshire Cat had apparently decided to show up.

"Cheshire Cat! Where were you?" I asked.

He ignored my question. "Splendid! You're quite the heroes." He bounced up and down. "That was quite the show!"

_WHAT?_ I thought. _He _enjoyed _that? Is this just a game to him?_

"Cheshire Cat," Sora began. "Wh-who are you?"

He ignored Sora's question as well. "If you're looking for Alice, she's not here."

"What?" Donald said. "Where is she?"

"She's gone! Off with the shadows, into darkness." He disappeared again.

"No…" I heard Sora say.

We were too late. Alice was gone.

"Let's go back to the Gummi Ship," Donald said. "We might find her in another world."

The rest of us nodded. We started to head for the ship, but I stayed behind. In my head, I was saying _I knew that this was going to happen. I knew I would never see her again_. But I knew I couldn't give up. I knew in my heart I would see her again.

Then I thought about the boy. He led me to the piece of evidence I had found. If it weren't for him, Alice would have probably lost her head.

_Wonder where he is_, I thought. _Wish I knew so I can thank him_.

"Pyn, you coming?"

I shook myself out of my trance. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were looking at me, waiting to see if I was going to follow or if I had something else to say.

"Coming," I finally replied.

I ran to catch up to them, and all of us headed back to the Gummi Ship.


	7. Hand in Hand

Author's Note: This probably would have been up sooner, but a friend lent me their copy of American McGee's Alice and I just had to play it. It took me an entire week to beat the game. That means that besides writing my fanfics, I have nothing else to keep me busy until Assassin's Creed Revelations comes out. *sigh*

Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and apologize for this chapter being long. But I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter Six: Hand in Hand**

_I stood there with the young woman in front of a huge castle. We were watching a man run towards it._

"_Do you think he's gonna make it?" I asked._

_The young woman turned and looked at me. She smiled. "You know, I think he will."_

_I smiled and nodded._

_We were startled when we heard huffing and puffing behind us. Standing there, hand clutching her chest, was a woman in a long, black and purple robe that had a high collar wearing horns on her head. Her skin was also green._

_I hid behind the young woman. I wasn't going to let the woman in front of us get a hold of me again._

_I didn't hear the conversation between my friend and the scary woman. I was too scared. I was remembering the time the scary woman held me captive, calling me a Princess of Heart. I knew she was wrong. My captivity didn't last long, because my friends were able to save me from her—the boy, the young woman, and three good fairies._

_I peek around my friend and saw that the old hag had left. I looked up at the young woman, and asked "Is she really gone?"_

_The young woman nodded. "Don't worry, Pyn," she said. "You're safe."_

_She looked back toward the forest. So did I. I caught a glimpse of her taking out her good luck charm and looking down at it. Then she looked back towards the forest._

"_I promised Master Eraqus I would keep you safe if you came along," I heard her say. After a short pause, she said, "Pyn, I'm taking you home."_

_I looked up at her. Going home was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted to stay with her and see the different worlds._

"_I should have known," she said. "I never should have brought you with me."_

_Then everything went dark._

xxx

I woke myself up from my dream. I looked over to see that Sora had been napping as well. He was holding the Gummi in his hand. I leaned over and shook him, trying to wake him up. When that didn't work, I shouted, "Lazy Bum!"

Sora fell out of his seat, saying "Ah, Kairi!" When he got up, he looked around and saw that there was no Kairi. Donald, Goofy, and I were laughing.

Sora glared at me. "Ha ha, very funny."

I giggled. "I figured that would wake you up. You and I slept through the entire trip back."

"Back where?"

Donald slapped his forehead. Sora looked down at his hand and noticed that he was still holding the red Gummi block.

"Oh yeah! We were going back to Traverse Town!"

I nodded. "To find out about what that block goes to."

"And to find out more about that Keyhole we found," Jiminy added.

"We're here," Donald said.

Sora was the first to the door. We walked through the front gate to the town, and ran into Yuffie, literally.

"Oof! Hey!" Yuffie said.

Sora was the one who had bumped into her. I walked over to help him up. "Sorry, Yuffie!" he said.

"Yeah, you better be sor—oh, hi guys!" She didn't really see us at first, it seemed.

"Hey, Yuffie, have you seen Leon? We have something to ask him," I asked.

"Yeah," she said. "You know the back alleyway behind the Second District?"

The four of us nodded.

"Well, just beyond it is the Secret Waterway. It leads to a cave. Leon's most likely over there. He trains there a lot."

"Okay. Thanks, Yuffie!" Sora said. Apologizing again for bumping into her, we took off towards the Second District.

We walked into the Second District and stopped. Sora was looking in every which way he could.

"You okay, Sora?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, but which way is that alleyway?"

"Follow me!" I called. I was already halfyway down the staircase leading to the ground floor. They ran to catch up with me, but were immediately stopped by some Heartless. We dispatched them quickly, only to be stopped by a Large Body Heartless as we ran for the door to the alleyway.

"Whoa, ugly!" I shouted.

I dodged out of the way so that I could get behind it quickly. I began attacking it from behind while the others used a combination of Fire and Blizzard in the front. They quickly learned that they could not attack it from the front because, well, it used its belly as a shield.

It took us awhile to get rid of the Large Body. Once it was gone, we headed for the door that led to the alleyway.

We walked through and found the alleyway to be as quiet as usual. It was then that I realized what passageway Yuffie was talking about.

"It's over there!"

I pointed to the opening to the waterway. We ran over there, but stopped in a matter of seconds. The way was barred.

"Rats," Donald quacked.

"How are we going to get in?" Sora asked.

I could only shrug. I pulled on the bars and found that they were loose. I backed up and kicked one of the bars with all my might. It broke off.

"It looks like if we use enough force, we'll be able to get through," I said.

Jiminy popped out of Sora's hood. "If you all work together, you might be able to bust through!"

I nodded. "We should try charging at the bars. Like, get into a line and then just run."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded in agreement.

"Let's give it a shot!" Sora said.

We lined up and ran straight for the bars. We each used our shoulders to actually put our combined weight on the bars to bust through them. The bars broke under the stress, and we were able to get into the waterway.

We found both Leon and Aerith in the cave at the end of the waterway. Aerith was holding a tray with drinks on it.

"Hi, Aerith," I said.

She smiled and nodded, unable to wave. Upon seeing us, she offered us something to drink, and we took them without hesitation. I took a drink of mine, and then was somewhat hesitant to take another drink. I forgot that she put milk in her tea. But at the moment, I didn't care.

Leon was mid-swing when he saw us walk up. He finished and then turned around. "You guys came back fast."

"You've no idea," I said.

Sora scratched the back of his head. "Yeah," he said. "We had some questions that just sort of came up in the last world we were in."

We told Leon and Aerith everything that had happened in Wonderland.

Leon was the first to speak after we mentioned the keyhole. "So, you found the Keyhole?"

Sora and I nodded.

"Yeah," Sora said. "The Keyblades locked it automatically."

"Good," Aerith said, nodding.

"Huh?" I asked

"Every world among the stars has a Keyhole," Leon continued. "And each one leads to the heart of that world. There must be one in this town as well."

"What do you mean?" Sora questioned.

"It was in Ansem's report," Aerith answered.

Leon must have noticed our confused stares, because he then said, "The Heartless enter through the Keyhole and do something to the world's core."

I looked at Sora, Donald, and Goofy, and then turned to Leon and Aerith. "So, what happens to the world?"

"In the end, the world disappears," Aerith replied gravely.

"What?" the four of us said.

"That's why your keys are so important," Leon added.

"Please lock the Keyholes. You and Pyn are the only ones who can," Aerith implored us.

Sora and I looked at each other. "I don't know…" Sora said.

"Seeing other worlds would probably serve you well," Leon said.

"Yeah!" Donald exclaimed.

"We gotta find your friends! And King Mickey!"

_Mickey?_ I wondered. _That name sounds awfully familiar_.

Sora nodded. "I guess you're right…Okay!" He started to walk off, heading back out. However it was me who stopped him from leaving.

"Oh yeah, Leon," I began. "This Gummi block's different from the others. Do you know what it's for?"

It wasn't Leon who answered my question, but Aerith.

"Ask Cid," she replied. "He should know."

"Okay," I said. "Thanks!" With that, we waved and headed out.

"Who's Cid?" I asked.

"I know him," Sora responded. "Follow me!"

Donald, Goofy, and I ran after Sora, all the way to the Accessory Shop.

xxx

We walked up to the counter to talk to a man who I assumed was Cid. He was hearing a white shirt with a huge orange belt and blue pants. He was wearing goggles like the ones I had on and had a toothpick in his mouth. Sora took the Gummi out of his pocket and handed it to him.

"What've you got there?" Cid asked as he took the block from him. "Well, if it ain't a Gummi block."

"Yup," Donald said.

"What's this one for?" Goofy asked.

"You're kidding me!" Cid said, astonished. "You're flying a Gummi Ship and you don't know nothing about Navigation Gummis? Bunch of pinheads. Interspace ain't no playground."

"It's not our fault," I said. "There's a lot we don't know."

Sora nodded. "So what! We have to use the Gummi Ship to go to other worlds. We don't have a choice."

Cid noticed that he blew a Sora-fuse and immediately said, "Whoa, easy. I didn't know. No hard feelings, alright?"

The four of us nodded.

"Well, I guess I could lend y'all a hand, then."

"Thanks," Sora said.

"So, what's a Navigation Gummis for?" I asked.

"Basically," Cid began, "With Navigation Gummis, you can go to new places. You want one on your ship, right?"

Again, the four of us nodded.

"Okay," he said. "I'll install it for you. But I got this thing I gotta deliver first."

"What do you need to deliver?"

He pulled out a book from underneath the counter. "Just this old book. When the guy brought it in, it was practically falling apart. Too beat up to restore it to the way it was. But, overall, I did a decent job puttin' it back together." He was admiring his handiwork.

"Anyway, you guys mind deliverin' it for me? It's the old house beyond the Third District. Look for a big fire sign. You really can't miss it."

I looked over at Sora. He nodded. "Sure," I said. "We'll do it."

I took the book from Cid and put it in my pocket. My pocket was just big enough to fit the book in. All of a sudden, we felt shaking and heard a bell ringing.

"Wha-what was that?" Sora asked.

"Hmmm," Cid mused. "The bell at the Gizmo Shop is ringing. You guys can go check it out if you want, but deliver that book first. When you guys are done, stop by the small house in the Third District. That's where I'll be."

"Thanks again, Cid!" I said. Then we headed for the Third District.

xxx

We took a shortcut to get to the Third district faster. We had some Heartless troubles on the way.

"Will the Heartless ever leave us alone?" I asked while fighting of a Red Nocturne and two Soldiers.

"Nope, I don't think so," Donald said. He had recently cast Fire on three Blue Rhapsodies.

One of the Soldier Heartless I was fighting made a swipe at my pocket. I dodged out of the way so that it couldn't get to it. I understood what it was after. "Hey guys, I think they're after the book!"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at me, and then at each other.

"Time to go!" Sora called out. He smacked the Soldier on the head and it disappeared. We ran for the door with the fire sign on it.

"FIRE!" I yelled, aiming the spell at the door. It immediately shot up and let us through. Fortunate for us, it didn't let the Heartless in.

We jumped across some flat topped rocks, and walked into an empty house. There was no one there.

Donald, Goofy, and I walked around the house. I saw Sora look toward the right side of the house. He looked like he was out of it.

"Kairi?" he asked, confused.

I was equally confused. Kairi wasn't there.

"Sora?" Goofy asked, worried. This seemed to get Sora out of his daze. He turned to face us, as if he was about to say something. But he was interrupted by the arrival of an old man in a blue robe wearing a blue hat, blue shoes, and glasses with a long white beard.

"Well, well…you've arrived sooner than I expected," the man said.

"You…knew we were coming?" Sora asked.

"Of course."

"Are you a Heartless?" Donald asked.

"Oh, my, no. My name is Merlin. As you can see, I am a sorcerer. I spend much of my time traveling."

That's when I noticed that he was carrying a brown carpet bag.

"It's good to be home," he continued. Looking at Donald and Goofy, he said, "Your king has requested my help."

"King Mickey?" Goofy asked.

"Yes, indeed. Donald, Goofy." Merlin looked at me and Sora. "And…who might you be young man, and young lady?"

"I'm Sora."

"I'm Pynelopie, but everyone just calls me Pyn."

"Ah, so you have found the Keys."

Sora and I nodded.

"What did the King ask you to do?" Donald asked.

"Just a moment…" Merlin said. Donald began tapping his foot. Merlin walked up some steps to a small platform in the middle of the house (more like room), and opened his bag.

"Presto!" Suddenly, objects from his bag began to come out of the bag and get bigger and bigger. Within five minutes, the room was full of Merlin's personal belongings and looked more like a study. He then turned to us.

"Your king asked me to teach you in the art of magic. We can start anytime you want. Just let me know when you're ready to begin training. And one more thing."

A small carriage next to the exit transformed into a woman, who also wore a blue robe and hat. She looked strangely familiar to me. Come to think of it, so did Merlin.

"I'm Fairy Godmother. Your king also asked me to help. I will assist you through your journey."

"I do not know how much I can be of help, but do stop by anytime," Merlin added.

"Alright, we will," Sora said.

My hand automatically went to my pocket. I felt something heavy in it, and then remembered the book. "Oh, yeah. Cid asked us to deliver this to you, Merlin." I pulled the book out and handed it to him. As it went into his hands, I saw the cover and knew I had seen it before. _But where?_ I wondered.

"Oh, that book," Merlin said, as if suddenly remembering it as well. "So, Cid asked you to bring this. Thank you."

"What kind of book is it?" Sora asked.

"Well, I don't even know myself," Merlin replied. "In fact, it's not mine. Somehow it found its way in to my bag. It was such a curious book, I asked Cid to repair it for me. Well, I guess I'll put it somewhere for now."

He put it down on a night stand and opened it. "Ah, yes, this book holds a great secret, and I'm sure the missing pages help to unlock it. I'll keep it right here, so feel free to look at it whenever you like. My regards to Cid for repairing the book for me."

"Thanks a lot, Merlin" I said.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "We'll be sure to tell Cid."

With that we headed for the house in the Third District that Cid had mentioned.

xxx

We hadn't even made it out of the fire door when two Soldiers decided to show up. But we didn't even get a chance to give them a piece of our minds, because they had disappeared. Someone had beaten us to them. Standing there in front of us was none other than Riku.

"There you are," he said casually. "What's going on?"

"Riku?" Sora asked. He walked up to him and started touching his face, trying to make Riku have a funny face.

"Hey, hey, cut it out!"

"Riku!" I exclaimed. I merely walked up to him and set my hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not dreaming this time, right?"

"I hope not," Riku said. "Took forever to find you." He banished the weapon he was holding. I caught a glimpse of it before he did. The blade of it was a black and red wing. On the hilt was a red eye.

"Riku!"

We walked more toward the middle of the Third District. That was when we realized that someone else wasn't there for this reunion.

"Wait a second. Where's Kairi?" I asked.

"Isn't she with you?" Riku asked.

Sora bowed his head. I shook my head "no".

"Well, don't worry. I'm sure she made it off the island, too. We're finally free. Hey, she might even be looking for us now."

Sora looked up from brooding over Kairi. I followed his line of sight and noticed a Shadow appear behind Riku. Riku never noticed. He kept talking.

"We'll all be together soon. Don't worry. Just leave everything to me. I know this—"

Riku was interrupted by the sound of the Shadow disappearing. Riku seemed a bit surprised.

"Leave it to who?" Sora asked.

_Of course_, I thought. _It's times like these that these two decide to show off and see who's tougher_.

"Sora," Riku began. "What did you—"

"Sora and I have been looking for you and Kairi, too, with their help." I pointed to Donald and Goofy.

"Who are they?"

"Ahem. My name is—" Donald began, but was interrupted by Sora.

"We've visited so many places and worlds, looking for you."

"Really?" Riku asked. "Well, what do you know? I never would have guessed."

"Oh, and guess what?" Goofy said. "Sora and Pyn are Keyblade Masters."

"Who would've thought it?" Donald asked sarcastically. He seemed quite irritated.

"What's that mean?" Sora asked him.

"So this is called a Keyblade?" Riku was holding Sora's Keyblade. How he had gotten it was beyond anyone's belief.

"Huh?" Sora looked back at his hand. Then he looked at Riku and began to walk towards him. "Hey, give it back!"

Riku backed away from him, and Sora fell face forward onto the ground from the sudden movement. Riku examined Sora's Keyblade and then threw it back towards him when he got back up.

"Catch!" Riku said.

Sora caught it without fail. "So, you're coming with us, right? We've got this awesome rocket. Wait 'til you see it!"

"He can't come!" Donald declared.

"What?" I asked.

"Forget it!"

"Oh, come on!" Sora pleaded. "He's our friend!"

"I don't care!"

Goofy stopped the argument. "He's gone."

Sora and I turned from Donald. What Goofy had said rang true. Riku was gone.

"Riku?" I asked.

"Nice going," Sora said. "Oh, well. At least he's okay."

"Who knows," I added. "Maybe we'll run into Kairi soon, too."

Sora nodded. "Yeah."

"Well," Goofy started. "We should head to that house Cid told us about."

The rest of us agreed, and we ran to the small house. When we walked in, we noticed that everyone seemed to be in a glum mood. And by everyone, I meant Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, and Cid.

"What's wrong guys?" I asked.

"You guys ever hear of Maleficent? I hear she's in town," Cid asked.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy shook their heads. I was the only one who nodded.

* * *

><p>AN: Sorry I left you guys at a cliffhanger. I felt that the chapter was already so long that I decided to put the conversation in the Small House in Chapter Seven. That, and I needed to tie the Pyn's dream in with this chapter somehow. It kind of is a bad place to leave off, so sorry guys!


	8. MaleficentReunion

Author's Note: I really don't have much to say about this chapter. I was listening to the Kingdom Hearts Soundtrack while writing this chapter. Probably the best tracks for this chapter would be Villains of a Sort, Treasured Memories, and Piccolo Resto from Re:CoM.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven: MaleficentReunion**

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at me as if I had gone completely nuts. Especially Sora.

"How do you know her?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. When Cid mentioned her name, it sounded really familiar."

"Who is she?"

"A witch, man," Cid said. "She's a witch!"

For some reason, the image of the green skinned, old hag from my dreams came into mind.

"She's the reason this town's full of Heartless," Leon pointed out. "Don't take her lightly."

"She's been using the Heartless for years," Aerith added.

"We lost our world, thanks to her."

"One day, a swarm of Heartless took over our world!" Cid exclaimed.

"That was nine years ago."

"I got out of that mess and came here with these guys." Cid pointed over to Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith.

"That's awful," Donald and I said together.

"Our leader was a wise man named Ansem," Leon continued. "He dedicated his life to studying the Heartless."

"His report should tell us how to get rid of the Heartless," Cid added.

"Where's this report?" Sora asked.

"We don't know," Leon replied. "It got scattered when our world was destroyed."

"I'm sure Maleficent's got most of the pages," Cid claimed.

"Oh yeah," I said. "I remember Aerith telling Donald, Goofy, and I something about that."

Donald, Goofy, and Aerith nodded in agreement. They remembered very well.

"Maybe we should look for the rest of the pages while we are passing through the different worlds."

"Yeah," Sora said. "If it will help us to get rid of the Heartless, then we'll definitely need to find it."

"And stop Maleficent," I added in.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded in agreement.

We let Cid know that we delivered the book to Merlin. He then informed us that he fixed up the Gummi Ship, and even added in a Warp-G.

"For the heck of it," I heard Cid say.

We were just about to leave when Aerith said, "I've been thinking about that bell in the Second District."

"Oh," Sora said. "That one that rang a bit ago?"

Yuffie nodded. "The one above the gizmo shop. There's a legend about it, you know."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy were suddenly interested. I rolled my eyes. _Boys_, I thought.

"But it's all boarded up," Aerith pointed out. "Nobody can get in there."

The boys looked disappointed.

Cid tried to cheer them up. "Heck, go check it out. Ring it three times to see if anything happens."

We nodded. We wave goodbye and headed for the Second District.

xxx

We walked right up to the tallest building there was in the Second District. It was white and had stain-glass windows.

"So this is the Gizmo Shop," I said in awe.

"It's huge!" Donald exclaimed.

"I believe the entrance is right next to the hotels on the next level." I pointed to where the doors to the shop were. During our first visit here, Donald, Goofy, and I had searched this district fairly well trying to find Sora and Leon. I knew there was another set of doors in the Gizmo Shop that lead to a ladder leading to the top of the building.

"Well, who wants to go ring the bell, and who wants to stay down here and keep an eye out?" Sora asked.

It turns out that I was the only one who wanted to keep watch. _I guess that's what I get for being the only girl in the group_, I thought. _Oh well_.

I leaned up against the wall of the building, keeping an eye out for Heartless or anyone who would catch us and get on to us about vandalizing property or ringing the bell. I heard the bell ring one time. I knew they had found it.

What I saw next had nothing to do with the Heartless or the town's citizens. I saw someone, and he didn't look like he was from Traverse Town. It looked like…

_The boy!_ I thought. _It's him!_

He was wearing the same white and black shirt, the same khaki shorts and armored shoes I had seen him wearing in my dream. I walked up to him to try to talk to him. When he thought I was close enough, he turned around so that I couldn't see his face.

"Who are you?" I asked.

He didn't answer. He didn't even turn to look at me. I tried to think of anything that would get him to say something.

"I wanted to thank you for your help, back in Wonderland," I said. "But you just disappeared. How did you know where the evidence was?"

He still didn't say anything. He merely nodded, and then ran off.

"Hey! Wait!" I started after him.

"Pyn!"

I stopped running and turned around to see that Sora, Donald, and Goofy waving at me. They were letting me know that they were on their way back down.

I nodded, and then turned back around. The boy was gone. I felt really hurt, because I still didn't know his name. It didn't help that I _knew_ I knew who he was. I looked up and noticed that the mural behind the fountain had turned into a glowing Keyhole.

I gasped. "Guys, get down here quick! A Keyhole appeared!"

When I turned to see where they were, I was surprised to see them right behind me. _That was quick_, I thought.

Sora and I nodded to each other, and readied our Keyblades to close the Keyhole. Just as we were about to raise our Keyblades, a Guard Armor showed up.

"What?" I said in disbelief. "I thought we got rid of that thing?"

"These things never give up do they?" Donald asked.

We set after it anyway. Because we knew exactly how to fight it, and had a little more experience, the Guard Armor fell quickly. But the battle was not over.

Just as quickly as it fell, the Guard Armor got back up, and put its arms and legs back where they were supposed to go. We were surprised when the creature flipped the positions of its arms and legs—the legs, or feet, became the arms and the arms became clawed feet. As an added change, the face shield on the Armor's helmet slid open, and we could see its yellow eyes, the trademark trait of all Heartless. It then became known as the Opposite Armor.

"I think we're in trouble now," Goofy stated. We all agreed with him.

The Opposite Armor was the first to attack. Using a pelvic thrust-type move, it threw its feet at us. Sora and I were able to dodge the attack, but Donald and Goofy weren't so fortunate. Both were knocked back several feet. I ran after the feet and began casting Blizzard on them, hoping that would slow them down enough that I could at least get a short combo in before the ice broke. It worked, but not long enough. I hit them one time, and they were free.

"Dang it!" I said, and blocked their attack. I then cast Fire, and then jumped in the air for a small air combo. This worked, destroying only one of the feet. Sora took care of the other one.

While we were busy with the feet-formerly-arms, Donald and Goofy were hacking away at the new arms. One of them actually grabbed a hold of Donald by the leg. Donald cast Blizzard, and then Goofy threw his shield into the arm so that it would let go of Donald in the process. This worked, and also destroyed the arm. Goofy used a spin attack on the other arm, which did quite a bit of damage. Donald finished it by putting it on fire.

"Alright!" Sora called out.

"We're not finished yet," I said. I pointed to the body, which was in the process of using itself as a cannon. It glowed and shot blue fireballs at us. No one saw that coming, and we were blasted back several feet. I recovered quicker than the others by doing a backflip and landing squarely on my feet, and ran after the creature.

"How does she do that?" Donald asked in amazement.

I ignored Donald's question, and threw a series of fireballs in the Opposite Armor's direction. This distracted it for a moment, long enough for me to put in a series of combos. Sora, Donald, and Goofy joined in, and the creature had no chance. Within seconds, it was destroyed.

We stood there catching our breath. For some reason, I was the only one who wasn't breathing as hard. _Where did all of that energy come from?_ I wondered. _How come I'm not as tired as the others? I've only been doing this for as long as Sora has. Unless…_

My train of thought was broken when I looked to see that the Keyhole was still glowing, as if it was waiting for us to close it. I nudged Sora in the side to show him the Keyhole, and we walked up to it. We held up the Keyblades, and sealed the Keyhole. It disappeared right after it clicked closed.

xxx

"Well, we better head for the shops in the First District before we head to the next world," I said.

"Why do you say that?" Sora asked.

"Because, we're out of items, and you go through them like gangbusters."

Sora chuckled nervously, and put his hands behind his head.

We walked through the doors and went over to Huey, Dewey, and Louie's Item Shop and bought a huge quantity of Potions and Hi-Potions. I put what I could in my pockets and handed a lot to Donald and Goofy. I handed very little to Sora, hoping that this small quantity would teach him not to use them up so fast. After we had paid, we walked over to the Accessory Shop.

We walked in to look around. Jiminy found something very interesting. Sitting next to the counter was a small, wooden boy.

"Why, as I live and breathe!" Jiminy exclaimed. "If it isn't Pinocchio!"

Pinocchio looked up from what he was doing. We weren't exactly sure what that was. "Oh. Hi, Jiminy!"

"What in the world are you doing down there?"

Pinocchio thought for a minute. "Um…playing Hide-in-Seek."

Jiminy crossed his arms. "I just don't believe it. And here I was, up all night, just worried sick about you. Why of all the—Pinocchio!"

In a small burst of light, Pinocchio's nose grew an inch.

"Pinocchio! Are you telling me the truth?"

"Yes!"

"Then tell me, what is this?" He pointed to an item that was on the floor next to Pinocchio.

"It was a present." Pinocchio said.

"No fibbing, now! You know you're not supposed to tell lies. A lie only grows and grows, 'til you get caught! Plain as the nose on your face!"

"But if you want something, why wait? Why not just take it?"

Jiminy was shocked. "Oh my! Who told you that? You need some advice from your conscience!"

Pinocchio nodded. "That's right! You're my conscience, Jiminy! I'll never tell lies as long as you're around." With that sudden revelation, Pinocchio's grew back to its normal size.

Jiminy nodded. "You need to be good so that you can become a real boy. You promised Geppetto you would be, right?"

"Oh!" Pinocchio asked, as if suddenly remembering something. "Do you know where Father is?"

"He's not with you?"

Pinocchio shook his head. "Jiminy, let's go find Father!"

"Now, hold on!" Jiminy said, hearing the eagerness in Pinocchio's voice. "There are all sorts of dangers and temptations out there! I'll go fin Geppetto, so you just wait here. These people here will be helping me."

Sora looked at Donald, Goofy, and I, and then back at Jiminy. "We will?" he asked.

Jiminy turned around and looked up at Sora and I. "Well, shall we go?"

Sora looked at me. "I have no problem with it," I said. Donald and Goofy nodded in agreement.

Sora sighed. "You could've asked us first…"

With that, we waved and said goodbye to Pinocchio, promising to bring his father to him. We walked out of the shop, and headed to the Gummi Ship.


	9. Olympus Coliseum

Author's Note: Sweet! Two updates in the same day! Hope you guys are just as excited as me.

Anyway, you guys get to know Pyn a little bit more. And there's a reference to a character that I hope you guys get. Let me know who you think that character is, and I'll let you know if you're right. Personally, I think it's pretty obvious and probably should have made it less obvious. But, oh well.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight: Olympus Coliseum<strong>

"Where are we headed next?" Sora asked.

Donald looked at the World Map, and saw that another world was blinking. "Olympus Coliseum," he said.

I jumped up from my seat. "Did you just say 'Olympus Coliseum'?"

Donald nodded.

"Are you okay, Pyn?" Goofy asked. I looked over at him and noticed a look of concern. Sora and Jiminy looked just as concerned.

"Yeah," I said. "The name just sounded familiar to me. That's all."

They breathed, relieved that nothing was wrong with me.

"But I know I've heard of it from somewhere," I continued. "I think I've _been_ there."

Sora was the one really concerned this time. "How?" he asked. "You've always lived on the islands with me, Riku, and Kairi."

That's when the wheels in his head clicked into place. "Oh, yeah!"

Jiminy looked between Sora and I. "What are you guys talking about?"

"When we were little," Sora began. "Riku and I found Kairi and Pyn on the shore when we were headed for the islet we would always play on."

"Kairi and I weren't originally from the islands."

The Gummi Ship lurched a little to the right. Donald had been distracted from his current task.

"What?" he said, along with Goofy.

"That's why Riku came up with the idea to build a raft and travel to different worlds," I said. "He was interested to see where Kairi and I had come from. That, and he was sort of tired of life on the islands."

Sora nodded.

"Well, I'll be!" Jiminy said, immediately taking out his journal and a pencil. "I gotta write that down. Do you know where you came from, Pyn?"

I shook my head and looked down. "No, I…I don't."

The Gummi Ship slowed down a bit.

"Maybe when we land, somebody will be able to help you remember," Goofy said reassuringly.

"Yeah," I said, smiling. "You're right."

The Gummi Ship sped up. Everyone noticed.

"Man, this ship does run on happy faces!" Sora said. Everyone laughed. Everyone except Donald, who was more concerned with not running into any Heartless Gummi Ships. But everyone could see the smile on his face.

_Aw, Donald_, I thought. _You do have a sense of humor!_

xxx

We walked through a pair of stone doors that had elegant decorations, including lightning bolts where the door handles would be.

I ran past the others and stood in the middle of the area we were standing in, and looked up at the statues that were put up next to another door. This door also had lightning bolts on it.

"I know that I've _definitely_ been here before," I said.

"Maybe we'll meet up with someone you know or remember," Jiminy said from my shoulder.

"Yeah!"

"Okay, let's do it," Sora said.

I took them past the pair of stone doors in front of us, which I knew led to the Vestibule. Once we were inside, we saw a half-man half-goat standing on a pedestal, fixing a rule board. We walked up to him, and attempted to talk to him.

"Go on, Pyn," Sora, Donald, and Goofy encouraged me. I knew what they were encouraging me to do, but I couldn't do it. I was afraid that he wouldn't know who I was. Sora spoke in my stead.

"Umm…" he began.

"Great timing," the goat man said. "Give me a hand, will ya? Move that pedestal over there for me. I gotta spruce this place up for the Games."

We walked over to where he had pointed, and talked about what just happened.

"The Games?" Sora asked. He walked over, getting himself ready to move the pedestal.

"It's a tournament," I began. "Those signed up compete against each other. If I remember correctly, there two different brackets—East and West. The winners of each bracket face each other for the championship title."

"Cool," Sora said. "If we help this guy out, maybe he'll let us compete!"

The expression on Sora's face made me wish I hadn't said anything.

Sora began pushing on the pedestal. Jiminy looked up at me and asked, "How come you didn't say anything to that guy, Pyn?"

Donald and Goofy turned to listen. Sora was busy with the pedestal.

I thought about it for a moment. "He sounded familiar," I finally said. "I wanted to say something, but…"

"You were afraid that he wouldn't know who you were," Goofy said. He put a hand on the shoulder that wasn't occupied by Jiminy. "Don't worry! Even if he doesn't know who you are, he may know somebody who does."

I looked up at Goofy and nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

"I can't move this thing!" Sora said between breaths. "It weighs a ton!"

"Better break the bad news to that guy," Donald said, pointing to the goat man.

Sadly, all of us nodded. Sora, with the rest of us following, said, "It's way too heavy!"

The goat man stopped what he was doing. "What? Too heavy? Since when have you been such a little—Oh. Wrong guy. What're you doing here?" He had turned around and noticed us. We were definitely not who he wanted to see.

I recognized him immediately. _Phil!_ I thought.

"This here's the world famous Coliseum—heroes only. And I got my hands full preparing for the Games. So run along pipsqueaks!" As he said this, he got closer and closer to Donald.

He must have seen the expressions on Sora and Donald's faces, because he then said, "Look, it's like this. Heroes are coming from all over to fight ferocious monsters right here in the Coliseum."

_Well_, I thought. _He doesn't seem to recognize me. I guess I'll just have to make him recognize me_. I put my hand up, making a notion that I wanted to speak. But I didn't get the chance to.

Donald folded his arms after Phil's comment. "You've got heroes standing right in front of you!"

Goofy walked up behind Sora and I and put his hands on our shoulders. "Yup. These two are real heroes chosen by the Keyblade!"

I hoped that Goofy mentioning us would make Phil do a double take. It didn't.

Donald pointed at himself, and gestured towards Goofy. "And we're heroes, too!"

"A hero?" Phil asked, obviously in disbelief. "That runt?" He began laughing, which put Sora and I on edge.

"What's so funny?" Sora asked, a bit irritated. "We've fought a bunch of monsters!"

"Yeah," I said in agreement.

"Look, if you can't even move this," he said, pointing at the pedestal. He took a jab at moving it himself, but with no such luck. "You can't call…yourself…a hero!"

Phil was out of breath within moments. "Okay, so it takes more than brawn. Well, let's see what you can do."

The four of us jumped up excitedly. He was giving us a chance to prove ourselves.

"Gee," I said. "Thanks, Phil!"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy stopped jumping altogether. They waited to see if Phil recognized me at all, just like I was.

"No problem," Phil said. "But, how do you know my name?"

The four of us bowed our heads in disappointment. I stood straight up, and decided to try a different approach. "You mean, you don't remember me? I thought you never forget anything, Phil?"

"You bet I don't!" Phil exclaimed. "Now that I think of it, you do seem familiar."

He stared me down as if he were really trying hard to remember. He circled me twice.

And then it hit him. His eyes got wide.

"Holy Hera!" Phil exclaimed. "Well, if it isn't little Pyn. Just not so little anymore, are ya?"

I smiled, happy that he finally remembered me. "Yeah. I'm all grown up." I giggled. "Well, somewhat."

"Well, then. How are those friends of yours?"

Everyone looked at me. I felt awful, because not only was I not sure about what Phil was talking about, but I knew I had to lie to them.

"I'm not sure," I said. "I haven't seen them in a while." It was partly true.

"Well, if you see them," Phil started, "Send them my way. They could probably use some training. Or they may want to sign up for the Games."

"Will do," I said. I felt worse.

"So, you said you wanted to see what we could do?" Sora asked. I shook my head, sighing. _I knew it was coming_, I thought.

Phil looked at Sora, and then me. "This trial is tough. You guys got what it takes? You ready?"

Sora looked at me, and I nodded. "We're ready," he said.

Phil escorted us into the arena to face the trial.

xxx

Sora and I walked back into the Vestibule after we were done with the trial. Sora looked pretty happy with himself. I knew I had seen that look before, but it wasn't from Sora I had seen it.

I zoned out for a minute, trying to remember where I had seen that look. A scene flashed before my eyes, and I saw the boy, the young woman, and the young man sparring. It was a cloudless night. Lanterns were glowing against the starry sky. The four of us were at the summit of a mountain. The boy had been sparring against the young man, and won. I saw the look of victory and happiness on the boy's face.

I was brought back to the present when Phil was talking to Sora. "You know, you ain't bad, kid."

He then looked at me. "I figured that you would be pretty good, what with your friends training here and all."

_I wish you would tell me what you're talking about, Phil_, I thought. _I can't remember them!_

Sora put his hands behind his head. "Looks like we're headed for the Games!"

"Afraid not," Phil informed us.

"Why not?" Sora asked, coming out of his relaxed, laid back position.

"Two words: You—guys—ain't—heroes!"

"Aw, come on!" Sora pleaded. But Phil wouldn't give in. He seemed to feel for us, because he handed us a sheet of paper. It had instructions on it to teach us the Thunder spell. With Phil still not giving in, we walked out of the Vestibule and back towards the gates.

xxx

We were about halfway to the exit when we heard a voice behind us.

"Rather a stubborn old goat, wouldn't you say?" We turned around to see who was talking to us. Standing near the entrance to the Vestibule was a smoky, blue man wearing a black robe. Blue flames acted as his hair.

As I turned to face him, I realized that I knew him. _Hades_, I thought. _He's the one who messed with one of my friends_.

"He's a satyr." I said. I took offense to Hades calling Phil an old goat.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Hades said. I glared at him.

"Who are you?" Donald asked.

I was about to answer him when Hades went on and said, "Whoa, hold on there, fuzz boy. Let me guess…you want to enter the Games, right? Well, then get a load of this."

He put his hand on Sora's shoulder, and a piece of paper magically appeared in his other hand. He handed it to Sora. Sora took it, and looked at it.

"A pass?" he asked.

"It's all yours," Hades said. Looking at both Sora and I while walking away, he then added, "Good luck, kids. I'm pulling for ya, little shorties." With that, he disappeared.

"Who was that?" Donald asked.

"Hades," I said. "He's bad news."

"How come?" Goofy asked.

"Hades does things for his own purposes," I began. "He claims that he's going to help you, but in the end, it doesn't matter what you want. He cares for the things he wants."

"You sound like you had a personal run-in with him," Jiminy observed.

I remembered something vaguely. "He did something to a friend I had made in this world. Only to try to bring the darkness out of someone I knew." I had my arms folded, and was looking down.

"Don't worry, Pyn." Sora said. "I'm sure whatever he has planned, we'll be able to handle." I knew he was trying to make me feel better.

And it worked. I smiled and said, "Yeah. Thanks, Sora."

"Well," he said. "Let's go give this to Phil."

We ran back into the Vestibule. I couldn't help but feel that someone was watching. And if there was someone watching, I knew who it was. _If I ever see you again, Hades_, I thought, _I'm gonna give you a piece of my mind_.

xxx

"Hey, how'd you get this?" Phil was puzzled.

"Can we enter the Games now?" Sora asked. He was way too eager.

"Well…I guess so. We start with the preliminaries. Ready for them?"

We doubled checked to make sure everyone had enough items, and that there was a game plan set. "Ready," I said.

"Let's go!" Sora exclaimed.

"Okay, but be careful," Phil cautioned. "Some real weirdoes signed up for the Games. Better watch yourselves."

We nodded, and headed into the arena.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I learned quickly that the "weirdoes" that Phil was talking about were the Heartless. We then knew that we would be able to handle the preliminaries.

We handled each match with the experience we had gained from fighting in Wonderland and Traverse Town, especially after battling Trickmaster, Guard Armor, and Opposite Armor. We balanced between regular attacks and using magic. We even used good defense. When it was time to use offense, Sora and I handled to front line while Donald would use mainly magic-based attacks and Goofy would act as the defense. Using this strategy, we won each match quickly.

After Round Three, Phil let us take a small break.

"Say, you guys are better than I thought," Phil said. "I only wish that he were here to see this."

"Who?" Sora asked.

"Hercules." I had been sitting, bent over a little bit. But when I heard that name, I sat straight up. "He's a hero if there ever was one. Too bad he's visiting his father."

I stood up. "You mean, Herc made it to 'True Hero' status?" I asked.

Phil nodded. Before I could ask him anymore, Sora called the rest of us up to the ring, signifying that the next match was about to start. I ran up there.

We breezed through Rounds Four and Five, and were now at the final round.

"Whose our opponent?" Donald asked.

"Someone named Cloud," Sora said.

"We better stay vigilant," I suggested. "Because I think that's him."

Standing in the ring was a young man with blonde, spiky hair. He was wearing a navy blue uniform with a maroon colored cape, and was holding a really thick sword that had tape wrapped around it. He also had a black wing.

"Didn't we see him pass us while Phil was giving us advice?" Goofy asked. "Ya know, after the first round?"

"Yeah," I asked.

We all walked up to the ring to begin the match against Cloud. I couldn't help but look at his uniform. It reminded me of someone else's uniform.

The bell rang for the match to start. We readied ourselves, and went after Cloud. Sora and I swung at him with our Keyblades, but he jumped into the air. He readied his weapon as he came down, and thrust it into the ground. This sent a shock wave, which sent all of us flying. Again, I was the first one to recover, and ran after him while he was open for an attack. I was able to put in a small combo before Cloud was able to swing his sword at me. I dodged the attack, and utilized the Thunder spell that Phil had lent us. This stopped Cloud for a moment, and gave Sora and Goofy enough time to attack as well.

Cloud certainly wasn't going down without a fight. He was perhaps the toughest opponent we've had to fight in the preliminaries.

"How are we going to beat him?" Sora asked me when we were clear of Cloud. Donald and Goofy were keeping him occupied while we came up with a plan.

"He's fast," I said. "But we need to be faster." I was breathing heavily for a change.

"But how are we going to do that? We would need the element of surprise."

The light went on in the attic. "I know exactly what we're going to do." I was watching Donald and Goofy fighting Cloud. He was wearing himself out, and I could tell he was just as tired as we were.

"What?"

"Follow my lead."

He nodded. We ran right at Cloud. I slowed down a bit so that I could throw a Hi-Potion to everyone. We immediately felt its effects, and weren't breathing as heavily anymore. I heard a group thanks, but I wasn't really concerned with that.

"Sora, Donald, give me a boost!" I shouted.

They put their hands together. I stepped in the middle, and they shot me into the air. Cloud was definitely surprised, because he stopped attacking Goofy and looked up. I flipped myself so that I could bring my Keyblade down easily, and was pleased when it made contact. Cloud wasn't able to think fast enough, so he wasn't able to dodge out of the way of the attack.

Cloud was dazed long enough that everyone was able to come together and finish the match. Sora put in the final blow with a combination of a Thunder spell and a small combo with his Keyblade. The final round was over.


	10. Go for it!

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews guys! It makes me happy when I see them and read what you guys wrote. Special thanks to forevermagik13 for the suggestions. They really help.

But I do want to say sorry for dropping off the face of Earth. I was working on yet another story, and I promised I would do a painting for my cousin for her birthday. I've gotten requests like that several times.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. For those of you who have guessed the reference I made to a certain character, this chapter reveals who it was! Like I said, enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine: Go for it!<strong>

We had officially won the preliminaries, but Cloud wasn't finished. He sent a shockwave and we went flying. Cloud stood there, towering over us.

I looked over at the stands, and saw Phil running towards someone and hitting them, to no effect. It was Hades, and he was smiling.

_He's enjoying this?_ I thought. I stood up, regaining my strength. _I'm gonna wipe that grin right off his face!_

I ran after him. By the time I actually reached him, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Phil was in the middle of swinging at him, so I got there in time to catch him, making sure he didn't fall right on his face.

"Thanks," he grunted. I nodded, and we looked back towards the ring. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Hades reappeared next to one of the exits.

Cloud had his sword raised. I got up from the stands and started to run, but stopped when I saw him lower it slowly. He didn't harm Sora, Donald, or Goofy. They were safe.

But he wasn't. The moment he turned around, he was crushed by a three-headed dog.

I gasped. "What is that?"

Phil responded quickly. "Cerberus!"

As Hades left the arena, I heard him say, "Oh, right, there was one rule I forgot: Accidents happen."

_When I get my hands on him_, I thought. But I wasn't able to finish that thought. I saw Cerberus staring at Sora, Donald, and Goofy, and acting as if it was going to...I couldn't think about what would happen.

"Pyn, we have to do something!" Jiminy said.

I agreed with him without hesitation. I ran towards the others to get them out of the way. I made it in time to help them up.

"Pyn, look out!" Goofy shouted.

I turned around and saw Cerberus bending its three heads down towards us.

_Oh no!_I thought. I closed my eyes and braced myself for what was coming next.

But nothing happened. I heard someone grunt, and opened my eyes.

Standing before us, holding Cerberus back from attempting to eat us, was a tall, muscular guy with brown-blonde hair wearing a brown uniform with a blue cape. It was Hercules.

"Herc!" Phil yelled.

"Phil," Hercules said. "Get them out of here!"

Phil ran past us, trying to get us to leave. Hercules was still busy with the three headed dog. I was the last one at the door to the Vestibule, but I stopped in my tracks. Everyone else was already in safety.

_This isn't right,_ I thought. _I can't leave him in here alone to deal with that thing! I'm not leaving anyone behind!_

I turned back towards Hercules, and ran to aid him.

Pushing the dog away, Hercules noticed me coming back.

"What are you doing?" he asked. "You need to go with Phil!"

I shook my head. "No Herc," I said. "I need to help you. We're friends, and friends should always help friends out, right? And it's the thought that counts. I'm not leaving you or Cloud behind."

His eyes widened when he heard me say his name. "How'd you-?" Within a second it dawned on him. "Pyn?"

I smiled, and nodded. "Why don't we take care of Hades' pet?"

Hercules nodded. We turned towards Cerberus, Hercules clenching his fists and I bearing my Keyblade. Hercules noticed the weapon, and I saw his eyes widen again. _He recognizes it_, I thought.

I ran at the middle head, which was in the process of barking. I jumped on top of it, and started smacking it. It yelped in pain. It shook its heads and stood on its hunches, trying to shake me off. This gave Hercules enough time to grab Cloud and move him somewhere safe. But Cerberus saw what he was doing, and ran after him.

All the while, I was thrown off. I flipped and landed on my feet, right in front of the charging dog. I turned to face him and cast Thunder, hoping that would slow and wear him down. Hercules, leaving Cloud leaning against a wall, ran past me and threw a punch at it. This knocked Cerberus back quite a bit. He then ran towards it and punched it some more. He jumped back to where Cloud and I were. He picked Cloud up, and then turned to me.

"He's worn down some," he said pointing to Cerberus. The dog was still trying to recover from Hercules' last attack.

"Maybe, but I don't think that he'll stay down for long."

"Right, well, I need to get you two out of here," Hercules said, sounding heroic.

But he didn't have time to get us out of here. He turned around and came face to face with Cerberus. We were cornered.

"Uh oh," I said. But we weren't about to give up.

The monster was about to attack when it heard something. It turned around to face where the noise had come from. I peeked behind one of its legs and saw the others.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy!"

Hercules and I ran from behind Cerberus and met up with them.

"Herc, get Cloud out of here!" I told him.

He nodded, and then ran off. He ran past Phil, who stayed behind for a moment.

"Got two words of advice for ya," Phil said. "ATTACK!"

Then he ran off, leaving us to handle the dog. Cerberus growled at us.

Before I could even mention a game plan, the others ran up and began fighting, shooting fireballs and throwing their weapons at it. I ran up to help Donald fight the head to the left. I jumped right over him and attacked the head with a small air combo. I landed right in front of Donald, and turned to him.

"Donald, you and I need to use Thunder," I informed him. "It will slow him down."

"Okay!" he said.

We pointed our weapons to the sky and yelled "Thunder". The spell covered a wide area, in which case Cerberus took up most of it.

This slowed it down. It bent its heads down and the four of us began whacking them, waiting for the dog to give in. But to our disappointment, it lifted its heads, and began spewing darkness from its mouths.

"What the-" Sora said.

We ran away from Cerberus in order to avoid being swallowed by the darkness. A few seconds later, we found out that pools of darkness would appear wherever we were standing, and knock us back a few inches. Sora and I were caught by a few; Donald and Goofy took the most damage.

I threw a few Potions their way, and they downed them quickly. Sora was having a hard time breathing, and covered in a few cuts and bruises, so he downed a Hi-Potion himself.

"I think it's getting worn out," Sora said.

"Ya think so?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah."

"Then Donald and I will slow it down, and then we all come in for the kill," I said.

They nodded, and we carried out our plan. I ran over to Donald to give him the details, and he happily agreed. He had been fighting Cerberus off while we were talking and catching our breath.

We back away from Cerberus, to give us enough room to perform the spell that slows it down.

When we were far enough back, we looked at each other and nodded. "THUNDER!" we cried.

The combined spells covered a wide radius, and did massive damage to Cerberus. We heard it whimper, and we knew that the time was right. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I readied our weapons, and ran towards it. Sora and I came at it from two different angles while Donald and Goofy came at it dead center. It finally gave in.

We heard clapping behind us, and turned around. Phil had been clapping, and he was jumping for joy as well.

I was smiling. _I wonder if they'd be proud of me, _I thought.

xxx

"Thus," Phil began. He was reading off a piece of paper. "I do hereby dub thee Junior Heroes, and full rights to participate in the Games. Further-" He never made it any further.

"Hey, what do you mean 'Junior Heroes'?" Donald was furious.

"You rookies still don't know what it takes to be a true hero!" Phil informed us.

"There's your answer Donald," I said.

Donald frowned and folded his arms.

"So, what does it take?" Goofy asked.

"Well," Hercules began. "That's something you're just going to have to find out for yourselves. Just the way that I did."

"Alright," Sora said. "We'll start by proving ourselves in the Games."

_Well,_ I thought. _He certainly never gives up._

"There ain't gonna be any Games for a while. Gotta clean the mess up after that last battle first," Phil said. He seemed disappointed.

"Okay," Sora said. "We'll be back."

_Oh brother,_I thought.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked off, and headed towards the exit. I stayed behind.

"So, how are your friends? Haven't heard from them in a while."

I turned to Hercules, and hesitated in my answer. I knew who he was talking about. _Here comes that feeling again, _I thought. "I...don't know. I haven't seen them in a while myself."

"Oh, well, whenever you do see them, give them my regards!"

I nodded, and waved goodbye to them. I turned and ran out the door.

"Pyn, what took you so long?" Donald asked. The others had been waiting for me.

"Sorry, I was catching up with Herc." We started walking towards the exit when I looked at Sora and said, "You do realize that Herc and I had already worn down Cerberus by the time you guys jumped in, right?"

Sora and Donald stopped where they were. "What?" they said together.

Goofy and I laughed. We got to the exit and noticed someone sitting on the stairs. It was Cloud.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sora asked.

Cloud merely nodded.

"Why'd you go along with him anyway?" I said.

"I'm looking for someone," Cloud said. "Hades promised to help. I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired." He paused, stood up, and then continued. "I fell into darkness, and couldn't find the light."

"You'll find it," Sora said.

Cloud looked at him. Sora pointed towards me and himself. "We're searching too."

"For your light?"

We nodded. Cloud looked down and then back at us. Then he walked up to Sora and handed him something. I couldn't really see it.

"Don't lose sight of it," he said.

Cloud walked past us. Sora turned around and said, "Hey, how about a rematch sometime? Fair and square, no dark powers involved!"

Cloud glanced back at us. "Think I'll pass."

Sora smiled. We turned around, and headed through the front gates. I turned around to get another look at the Coliseum. I gasped, and then the gates came to a close.

We hopped in the Gummi Ship, and Donald fired it up.

"What was it, Pyn?" Sora asked. He must have seen me stop at the gates.

"Um...nothing," I said.

xxx

_When we were still on the ground, and as the gates were closing, I saw the shadow of a man. He was wearing a dark blue uniform, a brown belt, and armored shoulder pads. He had spiky black hair with some of his bangs in his face. He had disappeared just before the gates closed._

xxx

I smiled at the memory of seeing him. As the Gummi Ship flew off, I looked back at the Coliseum, which was getting smaller and smaller as we headed to the next world.

I smiled again. A tear ran down my cheek.

"Zack," I whispered.


	11. A Day in Agrabah

Author's Note: I don't have much to say about the chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten: A Day in Agrabah<strong>

"Looks like we're headed for somewhere called Agrabah," Goofy announced.

"Let me see," I said.

I got up from my seat stood next to Donald's. I looked at the map and saw a city in the middle of the desert and a cave in the shape of a tiger's head.

"Whoa. This place has more sand than the islands combined!"

"How long until we get there?" Sora asked.

"It's gonna be a while," Donald responded.

I sat back down and made myself as comfortable as I could. I looked out of the window. I sighed heavily.

"What's the matter, Pyn?"

I turned and saw Sora, Goofy, and Jiminy giving me looks of concern.

"I don't know," was all I could say.

"Who were those friends that Phil mentioned?" Sora asked. "I know it wasn't us or Riku and Kairi."

"You're right, it wasn't. To tell you the truth, I really don't know."

They looked at each other, and then at me, wide eyed. "Nothing about them at all?" Goofy asked.

"No. At least, not their names anyway." I looked back through the window. "It's strange. I remember what they look like, and what they were like, but I can't think of their names."

"Well," Jiminy said. "This is probably the first time you've even said anything about them at all."

"Yeah, I know. Maybe it's because I can't remember them that much and I didn't want to say anything until I did."

_Or maybe because the memories hurt too much to remember them, _I thought.

"Well, then, tell us more about them when you remember some stuff, okay?" Sora said. He always was curious about things.

"I promise," I said. Then I looked back out the window.

There were so many stars. I knew this wasn't the first time I had seen so many. Staring at them felt really familiar, or at least, it reminded me of a time I did see them all. My eyes grew heavy, and I fell asleep.

xxx

"_Y' ever wonder what stars are?" the boy asked the young woman. "Where light comes from?"_

_I was sitting in between them, listening to them and looking up at the stars. The young woman thought to herself, and then said, "Hmmm...Well they say—"_

_"That every star out there is another world."_

_The three of us turned to see who joined in the conversation. Standing there was the young man. "T—!" the young woman said._

_"Yep, hard to believe that there are so many worlds out there besides our own." He walked towards where we were sitting, and continued. "The light is their hearts. And each one is shining down on us like a million lanterns."_

_"He's really wise, isn't he?" I whispered to the young woman. She nodded in agreement._

_"What? I don't get it," the boy said._

_"In other words, they're just like you and Pyn, V—."_

_The boy got up and walked over to him. "What's that mean?" he asked._

_"You'll find out someday, I'm sure." the young man replied._

_"I wanna know now!"_

_"You're too young to know now."_

_"Quit treating me like a kid!"_

_The young woman and I giggled. "What are you two laughing at?" the young man asked._

_"We can't help it," the young woman answered. "You two would make the weirdest brothers."_

_She continued to laugh. The laughter spread, and soon, we were all laughing. Both of the guys came and sat with us, and we looked up at the stars together._

_The young woman got up all of a sudden. "Oh, T—, you and I have our Mark of Mastery exam tomorrow."_

_She went rummaging through her pockets and pulled out four pendants, each attached to a separate chain. "I made us good luck charms." she said._

_She threw one towards each of us—the young man got a bronze colored charm, the boy got a green colored charm, and I was tossed a purple one._

_The boy and I looked at each other, and then at the young woman. "We get one too?" we asked, excited that we were included._

_"One for each of us," she confirmed._

_"Yeah," the boy said._

_She turned around, and walked off a little, looking up at the stars. "Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star shaped fruit...and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other." The young woman paused, and then turned to face us again. "Technically, you're supposed to make them with seashells, but I did the best with what I had."_

_The young man shook his head. "Oi, sometimes you are such a girl."_

_"Hey, what do you mean 'sometimes'?" she asked._

_"You mean," the boy interrupted. "These aren't real good luck charms?"_

_"Well, that's yet to be seen. But I did work a little magic on them."_

_"Really?" I asked. "What?"_

_She smiled and held her charm up. The one she chose for herself was blue. "An unbreakable connection."_

xxx

When I woke up, I sat straight up. Thinking someone had shaken me to get me awake, I looked around to see who possibly had. I saw that everyone else was doing something else, so I concluded that I had startled myself awake. I sat back in my seat, relaxing and looking out the window yet again.

_Why do I keep having these dreams?_ I wondered. _Are they just dreams, or are they...memories?_

I put my hands in my pockets. Surprisingly, I felt an object in my right hand pocket. I sat up a little, and pulled it out. It was a purple, star-shaped good luck charm, one I had since I could remember.

_Heh. I forgot I left it in my pocket the day the islands were destroyed. I never thought I'd see it again._I studied it thoroughly, more thoroughly than I ever had before. Each point of the star was made out of purple shards of glass, each surrounded and bound together with silver wire. In the middle, which helped more to keep the charm together, was a purple hinted heart-shaped pendant. Unlike usual hearts, it was boxy, like when you draw boxed letters. My eyes widened seeing the pendant. I recognized it immediately.

_It's that same boxy- heart from the dreams! The same one that the boy, young woman, and young man were wearing!_

My thoughts were interrupted when Donald announced, "We're here! Everybody out!"

We got out of our seats, and headed for the hatch.

xxx

"It's official," I said upon entering Agrabah's city. "This place definitely has more sand than the islands."

We filed into the city, and, without a doubt, I knew we all were burning up.

"Sheesh," Donald said. "It's really hot, too!"

"Gawrsh, where is everybody?" Goofy asked.

"Probably inside, where it's nice and cool," Sora offered up.

"Or they are hiding," I said. "We've got company!"

The others turned around and looked to where I was pointing. A group of Heartless showed up, giving us a warm welcome.

Bandits, Large Bodies, and Yellow Operas appeared in a group. Donald began taking out the Yellow Operas with Fire and Blizzard spells. Sora and Goofy handled the Large Bodies, while I went after the Bandits.

The Bandits were a pain to take care of. I had to dodge and block several of their attacks before I could go in to land a hit. While I was attacking one, another would catapult itself close to where I was, close enough to attack. Eventually, after what seemed like dodging and blocking for forever, I was able to dispatch them, with a little help from Donald.

"Thanks, Donald!" I said.

"You're welcome," he replied.

"It's no wonder we got a distress signal from this world," Goofy stated. "The Heartless are in this world."

"If the Heartless are here," I began. "Then that must mean that there's a Keyhole around here somewhere."

_And mostly likely Maleficent is here, too, _I thought. But I didn't want to voice that opinion.

"Let's look around," Sora pitched in. "Maybe we'll find it around town. And while we're at it, we can get rid of the Heartless if they get in our way."

The rest of us agreed to that, heading towards the marketplace in the middle of the city. There were some Heartless there, too (mainly Bandits, to my chagrin), and we got rid of those as fast as humanly possible. Since the pathway ahead of us was blocked off, we head to our left, and entered an area known as the Bizarre. There were Heartless in this area, too.

_These things are everywhere,_I thought.

There weren't that many and they were mainly Blue Rhapsodies and Yellow Operas. There was only one Bandit, and with team effort, it went down easily.

When the Heartless were gone, we heard a rustle to our left. Behind some wooden boxes, a woman poked her head from her hiding place, and slowly stood up.

"Who's there?" she asked. "Hello?"

"It's alright," Sora said. "The coast is clear."

She walked away from her hiding spot, and walked over to where we were standing. I was finally able to get a good look at her. She had long black hair that was pulled back by three turquoise-colored hairbands, and there was what looked like a crown on top of her head. She wore a turquoise tank top that showed off her mid-drift, the sleeves hanging off her shoulders just a tad. She wore matching pants, gold-colored shoes, and a gold necklace that had a blue gem in the center.

"I'm Jasmine," she said. "My father is the sultan of Agrabah."

"Uh...so that makes you a princess," Goofy said.

Jasmine nodded. "But he has been disposed by Jafar, who now controls the city."

"Jafar?" I asked.

"You haven't heard of him? He's the royal vizier. He's gained evil powers and seized Agrabah. He's desperately looking for something—something he calls the 'Keyhole'. Jafar caught me trying to escape, but he helped me."

The four of us looked at each other. "Who helped you?" Sora asked, turning back towards Jasmine.

"We were hiding nearby, but he left a while ago to take care of something." She trailed off a bit, and looked down. She continued, saying "I hope Aladdin's alright."

"Aladdin? Where might I find this street rat?"

We were startled by the sound of another budding into the conversation. The newcomer's voice was very unpleasant. We looked around, to put a face with the voice. Looking up, was saw a tall, slender man dressed in black and red robes, wearing a matching turban and holding a gold walking stick-the top of it had the head of a snake. I was regretting putting the face to the voice-both were equally unpleasant.

"Jasmine," he continued. "Allow me to find you more suitable company, my dear princess."

He gestured towards us, saying, "These little rats won't do, you see."

_Little rats? _I thought. _So judgmental, like Hades. He's no right to call us names!_

"Jasmine, run!" Sora told her. Jasmine was quick to oblige. I didn't blame her.

We readied our weapons, ready for a fight.

"Ah, the children who hold the keys," the man said. Just as he was leaving, a group of Bandits appeared. Luckily we were ready to fight, or else we would have been at a slight disadvantage. It took everything we knew to get rid of the Bandits, and with everyone working together, it went faster than just one of us facing them. By now I figured out a strategy to fighting them, so the next time I had to face them alone, it would go a lot smoother than it did the first time.

"Gawrsh, he must be controlling the Heartless in this world!" Goofy observed.

"We don't know for sure," Donald pointed out.

"I think Goofy's right, Donald," I said. "I think tall, dark, and ugly was Jafar."

"How do you figure?" Sora asked.

"Well, Jasmine did say that Jafar gained evil powers," I pointed out. "What if one of those powers was control of the Heartless?"

"Hmmm, you have a point there."

"Let's look for Aladdin. Maybe he'll know a little more about what's going on."

We walked out of the Bizarre and took a look around town to see if we could find Aladdin. We looked everywhere but couldn't find him. We went back to the Marketplace.

"Where is he?" Donald asked. He was getting irritated.

"We've looked everywhere," Sora said.

I looked around to see if there were any possible places for Aladdin to hide, in case guys like Jafar were looking for him. I almost gave up, until I saw a small opening in a wall. There was pole in the small opening, which could allow anyone to climb up to a hiding spot. I followed to where the pole would reach to, and saw a small room at the top of the building.

"Hey guys! Why don't we check up there?" I suggested.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked to where I pointed. I told them about the pole. "I think that leads up to the room up there."

"No harm in lookin', I suppose," Goofy said. Sora and Donald agreed.

One by one, we climb up the pole, and into a room. I was right. When all of us were in the room, we looked around. There was an assortment of rugs and pillows. Part of the wall was open, so you could get a great view of the city.

When I wasn't drawn into the view of what I believed was a palace, I turned and noticed that one of the rugs was moving, all on its own. It was caught underneath a dresser, and was struggling to break free.

"Guys, help me move this dresser!"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I moved the dresser and freed the carpet. Once free, the carpet flipped around two times and then flew off.

"The carpet flew off toward the desert," Donald said. "Let's follow it!"

We slid down the pole, and ran towards the front gates of the city.


	12. Arabian Dream

Author's Note: What's up guys? Sorry for the extremely long wait, and pretty much falling off the face of the Earth! I'm clumsy, I know. XD No, life caught up to me, what with me worrying about school and work and doing chores around the house!

So, if you see any errors or anything of that nature, it was because I typed this entire chapter on my iTouch and then went back and corrected as many errors as I could. At least, whatever my spell check thought was wrong. If you see any, let me know by telling me where exactly it is and I will fix it and then repost the chapter.

I hope you guys enjoy! Hope it is worth the wait!

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><p><strong>Chapter Eleven: Arabian Dream<strong>

Once outside the gates, we saw that the flying carpet had been waiting for us. It looked like it wanted to take us somewhere.

"Looks like it wants us to follow it?" Donald guessed.

"I think so," I said.

"Well, all aboard, I guess," Sora said.

One by one, we climbed onto the carpet and zoomed across the desert. After about five minutes, the carpet dropped us off at the opening to a clearing. In the clearing, we saw a huge tiger head made of sand, and a whirlpool of sand. Inside the whirlpool, we saw a man and a monkey struggling to get out. The carpet flew around it three times and pointed to them.

"It must have brought us here to help these guys," I observed.

"And that's exactly what we are going to do," Sora said with firm determination.

We ran to help, but were stopped when a group of Bandits and Shadows appeared.

"They sure don't give up, do they?" I asked, in a very frustrated manner.

Everyone's answer was to begin attacking. We got rid of the Shadows first, and then aimed for the Bandits. It took a while to get rid of them, but they were gone.

Just as we were about to help the man and his monkey out, more Heartless appeared.

"Not again!" Goofy exclaimed.

I sighed heavily, wishing they would go away. Apparently, we weren't the only ones.

The man had freed himself as we were fighting the Heartless. I saw him reach behind his back and pull out a golden lamp.

_That's an odd thing to be carrying around_, I thought. _Random._

The man started rubbing his hand on the lamp. "Genie," he said. "Get rid of these guys!"

Suddenly, blue smoke came from the spout of the lamp. Within a second of the smoke coming out, a blue man with a red waistband appeared.

"Wish Number One coming right up!" he called out.

With a snap of his fingers, the Heartless disappeared.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I looked around and saw that there wasn't a Heartless in sight. We sighed with relief.

"Thanks!" we said together.

"Thanks, Genie," the man said. He had taken the time to free the monkey from the quicksand. It was now sitting on his shoulder.

"No problem!" The blue guy winked at us.

xxx

"I see...Thanks, guys."

Sora and I nodded. We told the man, who we found out was Aladdin, about what was going on and how we had found the carpet struggling for its life in the tower high above the marketplace (we found out this was also Aladdin's house).

"Aladdin, what are you doing out here?" Sora asked.

"Same old thing. Hunting legendary treasure. Just paid a visit to the Cave of Wonders." he pointed to the area we had just come from. We were now back in the desert.

He pointed to the carpet. "I found that magic carpet, and this lamp." He pulled the lamp out from his back pocket.

"Legend says that whoever holds the lamp can summon the—"

Genie interrupted. "Please, kid. Leave the intros to a professional. The one and only Genie of the Lamp. Rub-a-dub-dub the lamp and have your dearest wishes granted."

He disappeared and then reappeared next to Aladdin. "Today's winner is...Aladdin. Congratulations!"

"Any wish?" Donald asked. I looked over at him.

_Why does he have that weird look in his eyes?  
><em>  
>"Patience, my fine feathered friend," Genie said. "Any three wishes. A one wish, a two wish, a three wish. And then I make like a banana and split."<p>

He appeared next to Aladdin. "Our lucky winner just made his first wish." He leaned down next to me and Sora and said, in a low voice, "And let me tell ya what a doozey that wish was!"

He stood back up and continued. "So he has two left! So, master, what'll you have for Wish Number Two?"

A light shined down on Aladdin. He stood there thinking for a moment. "Hmmm...how about making me a fabulously wealthy prince?"

"A prince?" I asked. But no one seemed to hear me.

Genie became excited. "Ooooh! Money! Royalty! Fame! Why didn't I think of that? Okay, you asked for it! A hundred servants and a hundred camels loaded with gold. Just say the word and I will deliver it in 30 minutes or less, or your meal's free! Hey, I'll even throw in a cappuccino."

"No thanks! I think I'll put that on hold until we reach Agrabah."

"So...why a prince?" Goofy asked.

"You see," he began. "There's this girl in Agrabah named Jasmine. But she's a princess and I'm...Aw, she could never fall for a guy like me."

"Oh. Princess?" Donald wondered out loud.

"Jasmine?" Goofy did the same.

"Oh, right," Sora said. "She's in trouble, Aladdin."

"What?" Aladdin looked as though he were going to beat someone up for just saying that.

I felt daring enough to add, "Yeah, with someone real ugly!"

"Well, come on! Let's go!" The moment the guys hopped onto the carpet, I knew that Aladdin knew who I was talking about. Unfortunately, there wasn't any room for me to sit on Carpet. But Genie was kind enough to give me a lift.

After we were flying for about ten minutes, Genie did a loopty-loop that almost sent me falling into the sand below. He kept a pretty good hold on me, thankfully.

"Aw," he exclaimed. "Fresh air! The great outdoors!"

"I guess you don't get out much, huh?" I asked.

"Comes with the job. Phenomenal cosmic power, itty-bitty living space. It's three wishes and then back to my portable prison. I'm lucky if I get to see the light of day every century or two."

_Poor Genie_, I thought.

"Say, Genie," Aladdin began. "What if I use my third wish to free you from the lamp? What do think?"

Genie looked like he was about to do another loopty-loop. "You'd do that?"

"Genie, it's a promise. After we help Jasmine."

We sped towards the city of Agrabah even faster than before.

xxx

It didn't take long to find Jasmine and Jafar—Aladdin knew where he was going, and figured that they would most likely be at the palace gates. With all of the Heartless covering the ground, we took to the rooftops, which didn't really help against the Bandit Heartless. We stopped by Aladdin's house for a breather.

"So," Aladdin began. "Jafar is after Jasmine and this 'Keyhole'."

"Keyhole, eh?" Genie wondered. "I could swear I've heard about that somewhere before..."

Donald and I looked up at Genie. "Really? Where?" we asked at the same time.

"Now, where was it? It's only been 200 years..."

"Well, anyway," Sora interrupted. "We need to stop Jafar before it's too late."

The rest of us agreed. We headed down the pole, and headed for the palace. We ran into trouble with the Bandits again, but eventually made it over to the rooftops that over saw the palace gates. There we saw Jafar and Jasmine, and we jumped down to meet them.

Jafar had the never to speak. "Setting your sights a little high, aren't you boy?"

He turned around to face us and keep himself in between Aladdin and Jasmine. I was fighting the urge to throw something at him, hoping that make him a little bit more bearable to look at. Instead, I cringed. His voice didn't make things better.

"Back to your hole now, street rat! I will not allow you to trouble the princess anymore."

"Jasmine!" Aladdin shouted.

Jasmine stepped forward, but Jafar put an arm up to stop her. "I'm so sorry, Aladdin!" she said.

I readied myself into a fighting stance. I was getting peeved. Here Jafar was, calling people names when he didn't even know them. What a jerk, I thought. No wonder no one holds him in high regards. No wonder Jasmine was running from him. I looked over towards Aladdin. He was holding the lamp behind his back, rubbing it.

"Genie, help Jasmine please!" Aladdin whispered.

We heard a poof sound. Jafar turned around and stared up in bewilderment.

Genie had appeared right behind him, holding on to Jasmine.

"One wish left!" he said. "You're making this really easy, you know."

I looked at Sora and smiled. Then I looked at Jafar, and my smile faded. It was the ugliest, twisted face I had ever seen. I think Jafar was smiling.

"So sorry, boy. I'm afraid your second wish has been denied!"

Aladdin looked at his hands. The lamp was gone. We looked around and noticed a scarlet macaw flying around. In his claws, we saw...

"Oh, the lamp!" I pointed out.

The parrot dropped the lamp into Jafar's free hand.

Genie had a sudden sullen look on his face when this happened. He slumped over in defeat, dropping Jasmine in the process.

"I'm sorry, Al!" he said sadly.

Then he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Thankfully, Jasmine landed in a pot. She was safe, for the moment.

As soon as she landed in the pot, it grew legs and hobbled over to where Jafar was standing. _ A pot Heartless?_ I wondered. _What next?_It was then that I wish I hadn't wondered that at all.

"And now," Jafar said calmly. "I bid you all farewell. Attack!"

Suddenly, all of the pots that were in the surrounding area grew legs and gathered together. A head and tail appeared out of nowhere and attached themselves in their corresponding places to form a centipede with the mobile pots.

"Wak!" Donald quacked. "What now?"

"We fight," I said.

Everyone summoned their weapons, and we charged. I figured destroying the pots in the middle would slow the creature down, so I aimed for the middle. I cast Fire on the very center, so that it could "break" the centipede in half. This worked, and I began to destroy all of the pot Heartless. Goofy caught on to what I was doing, and he began beating them off so the creature wouldn't bring itself back together and run off. Sora and Aladdin began attacking the head and Donald was currently casting Blizzard and Thunder spells on the tail.

When the pots in the middle were gone, Goofy and I went to help Donald. The tail was giving him a hard time.

"Fire!" I shouted. A burst of fire emitted from the end of my Keyblade and completely covered the tail. When the flames went out, the three of us attacked it. We put in a good string of combos until the tail attacked us with a Dark Thunder attack. I blocked the attack as much as I could; Donald and Goofy were knocked back. I looked towards the front to see how Sora and Aladdin were doing, but they didn't look like they were making much progress either.

As if things weren't tough enough, more Pot Heartless appeared and began to make their way towards the broken up centipede. I cast Thunder to get rid of them, which worked out how I wanted it to.

_There's got to be an easier way to fight this thing_, I thought. _Thunder seems to only be effective on the Pots, but not the head or tail. And Fire was only effective for a few minutes. What are we going to do?_

More and more Pots were appearing. I knew worrying too much about those wasn't going to accomplish anything. So I ran up to the front to help Sora and Aladdin with the head. While I was thinking about it, I threw a Mega Potion that I had everyone's way. I could feel the effects within seconds. Then I got down to business.

I cast Blizzard at the head. It looked like it did enough damage to it, so I went in for a combo. The others saw what I was doing, so they joined in as well. Donald and Goofy stopped worrying about the tail and ran up to help us. With everyone's combined effort, the Heartless was getting weaker.

"It's working!" Sora said. I just merely nodded, concentrating on what I was doing.

When I thought that the Heartless was weak enough, I said. "Sora, Donald, on the count of three, we all cast Blizzard."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded, understanding where I was going with this. Aladdin looked puzzled.

I looked toward him. "Aladdin, you and Goofy just stand back for a minute. I'll let you know when to come in."

He nodded.

Sora, Donald, and I stood side by side, forming a wall in front of the Heartless. "One," I said.

The Heartless shook its head back and forth, trying to recover. Then it turned to look at us.

"Two." We raised our weapons up at the centipede's head. Some pots were gathering to make the middle of the creature. It began to inch towards us.

"THREE!" I shouted.

"BLIZZARD!" Donald and Sora shouted together.

The centipede froze where it stood, in attack mode. I ran behind it, getting ready for part two of the attack. I knew that ice wouldn't last forever.

"Aladdin, Goofy, now!"

We attacked the creature from behind, breaking the ice as we did. This isn't going to work, I thought.

"Sora, I'm gonna run to the front. When I say to, were going to throw our Keyblades at it. That will break the ice, and should do immense damage to the bug."

"Okay. Are you sure this is going to work?" he asked.

"Yes. On three." I ran to the front and began to count.

"One." The ice was breaking even more.

"Two." I could see it wriggling.

"THREE!" I threw my Keyblade like a Frisbee, as hard as I could. I saw it go all the way through the ice and the Heartless it was encasing. Sora's did the same. I heard a shrill screeching fill the air. The ice had broken, and the Heartless was wriggling in pain. After a few seconds of this, it finally fell. It disappeared in a burst of light, a heart floating away.

"We won!" Sora exclaimed. "Your plan worked, Pyn."

"I wouldn't really call it a plan." I replied. "I went mainly on instinct."

"Good instinct, then." Goofy said.

I smiled. I was surprised that we made it. It didn't seem that any of that would work, but I was happy with the results anyway.

"Jasmine!" Aladdin called out.

Our celebration ended when were heard an evil laugh vertebrate through the entire city. It reminded me of nails against a chalkboard. _Jafar_, I thought.

"To the desert!" Aladdin said. "Come on, let's move!"

No one hesitated. I looked at the others, and then followed Aladdin with all possible haste. I knew it wasn't good to keep somebody like Aladdin from someone they love dearly. Other than knowing it was morally wrong to do that, I wasn't exactly sure how I knew it. _Maybe I've been somewhere where that happened? _I wondered.

Noticing that I was lagging behind the others, I sped up to them. When we were just outside the city gates, we hopped on Carpet, and sped towards the area we had met Aladdin—the Cave of Wonders.

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><p>Cliffhanger! GRRR! Sorry guys. You can blame me because I went into so much detail with the Pot Centipede. *in small voice* I hate it when that happens...<p> 


	13. Friends in My Heart

Author's Note: I kinda had a hard time writing this chapter, mainly because of the ending, but I had fun.

So, again, I wrote this on my iTouch. I'm actually finding it easier to do it this way because I can just email it to myself and then edit it. But still, if you find any errors, PM me or shoot me a review and I will fix them.

And sorry for the cliffhanger from the last chapter! I really didn't want to miss too much!

Enjoy guys!

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><p><strong>Chapter Twelve: Friends in My Heart<br>**  
>Carpet dropped us off right at the entrance to the Cave of Wonders. We were greeted by a possessed Guardian, but we were able to bring him back to light. The fight itself took longer than we would have liked because of all the Bandit Heartless that had shown up.<p>

"Man," I said as the seven of us (that's including Carpet and Aladdin's monkey friend Abu) walked into the cave. "Jafar sure doesn't want us around!"

"No kidding," Sora agreed. "But why?"

"Do ya think it has something to do with Jasmine?" Goofy asked.

We all looked at Aladdin, who was walking a few feet in front of us. "I sure hope not," I said.

"Come on," Aladdin urged us along. "We need to hurry."

No one dared to argue with him.

"But where do you think they could be?" I asked. "This place is huge!"

"It'll take forever to find them," Donald added.

Sora, Goofy, and I glared at Donald. "What?"

"Maybe not," Aladdin said. "Jafar would have most likely taken Jasmine and Genie to the Lamp Chamber. Follow me, I know where it is!"

Aladdin took off running, Abu and Carpet right behind him. The four of us looked at each other, and followed suit.

We probably went through as many as five rooms and several traps until we reached a Treasure Room.

_It's no wonder that there are so many traps_, I thought. _This place is loaded with gold, all the way to the ceiling._

I looked around for a minute until I noticed Donald reaching out for a piece of treasure.

"Donald!" I shouted.

He laughed nervously. "I wasn't going to take any of it," he said defensively.

"Look!" Goofy exclaimed. He was pointing to an open doorway.

"That must be the Lamp Chamber," Sora said.

I nodded. I could feel that there was something evil beyond that doorway. I could _feel _the darkness flowing in that direction.

"Something tells me that it's not just Jafar that's beyond this doorway," I said out loud.

"What makes you think that?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure, but it feels as though there's someone in there with Jafar."

"Guess we'll just have to find out."

"Yeah."

"Let's go guys," Aladdin said.

As soon as we were sure we were prepared, we walked through the doorway, and entered the Lamp Chamber.

xxx

I was right. There was someone else with Jafar. We had run right into the middle of their conversation. Next to them was Jasmine, lying on the ground unconscious. They were standing by a doorway that looked similarly like a keyhole.

_That must be what they were looking for_, I thought. My thoughts were then turned back to the end of their conversation.

"Doing so would actually prove useful to our—" Jafar had been saying.

I was angry. I was the first to make to the middle of the chamber, ready to give Jafar a piece of my mind, when I suddenly realized that I recognized the figure standing next to him. I froze in fear, anger, and hatred toward the green-skinned woman with horns on her head, wearing the exact same black robe I remembered her wearing in the dreams.

"Wait a second," Sora said, bringing me back to the present. "Are you—?"

"Maleficent," I answered him.

She didn't stay long to confirm this, for she disappeared into thin air. But I didn't need her confirmation. I knew that was her, and was glad that she was gone.

"Jafar, let Jasmine go!" Aladdin demanded.

"Not a chance," Jafar replied. "You see, she's a princess—one of seven who somehow hold the key to opening the Door."

_Princess?_ I wondered. _One of seven?_I couldn't really wrap my mind around what he was talking about. But it reminded me of something.

"Open?" Goofy asked.

"The Door?" Donald also questioned.

"But you fools won't live to see what lies beyond it," Jafar continued, as if Donald and Goofy hadn't said a word. Then he turned to Genie, who had grown quite large and was floating high in the air above us. "Genie, my second wish! Crush them!"

Aladdin looked up at Genie and begged, saying, "Genie! No!"

"Sorry, Al!" Genie apologized. "The one with the lamp calls the shots. I don't have a choice."

Jafar raised his snake staff and pit up barriers to keep us from escaping and getting near Jasmine and the Keyhole. Then he pointed it at us and muttered something in gibberish. The staff began to glow. He was attacking.

I was the first to react. I summoned my Keyblade just in time to block Jafar's attack. Sora and Aladdin came right up from behind me and ran towards Jafar. He cast a few spells at them, but they dodged them and were able to put in a few good combos before Jafar flew away.

"Hey!" I called out. "That's cheating!"

"Pyn, I don't think he is going to fight fair," Donald pointed out. He was right of course.

"I know, but still..."

Just then I heard a voice behind me say, "Quick, quick! Get out of the way!" I turned around and saw Genie.

"Genie! Please, Don't!" I pleaded.

He leaned in, raising his hand high as he did so. I closed my eyes, ready for the hit, but nothing came.

"Psst!"

I opened my eyes and saw Genie's face right next to mine. In a whisper he said, "I don't wanna hurt ya. What do you say we give Jafar a run for his money, eh, Pyn?" then he winked.

I smiled and nodded. Then I put my hands up and said, rather sarcastically and over the top, "Oh no! Don't hurt me!"

Genie raised his hand and brought it down, missing me by inches. But no one, not even Jafar, would have been able to tell, because I then fell back as though I actually had been hit. "Aaaahhhh!" I shouted.

I heard a terrible laugh that sounded like someone was scrapping their nails along a chalkboard. I knew it was Jafar, laughing at my "pain".

"Pyn!" I heard Sora yell.

Donald ran over to me to see if I was okay. I looked up for a moment, and then grabbed Donald by the arm, pulling him out of harm's way. Genie had just moved his hand in a hitting motion, and I could hear him saying, "Oh sorry!"

"Are you okay?" he asked me. "Yeah, I'm fine." Then I lowered my voice so that only he could hear me. "I only pretended to get hit so that Jafar would think Genie was doing his job. It was Genie's idea."

"Well, it certainly distracted Jafar," Donald said, smiling. "Look!"

I looked over to where Soar and Aladdin were fighting Jafar. I smiled, because at the moment, we were winning.

"Donald, you and Goofy avoid and 'fight' Genie. I'm gonna go help Sora and Aladdin."

Donald nodded in agreement, and gave me a thumbs up. I did the same to him, and then ran to join Sora and Aladdin.

I came at Jafar from behind, knocking him upside the head, putting in a few good combos before he turned around and attempted to hit me with his staff. I dodged out of the way.

"Hey! Didn't your mother ever teach you to not hit girls?"

His only answer was another magic attack. "I guess not," I said, casting Blizzard and blocking his magic attack.

_I need to distract him long enough that we can defeat him and we can get Jasmine out of here_, I thought. _And seal the Keyhole_.

I knew exactly what to do.

I backed away from Jafar. After blocking a swing from his staff, I began taunting him. "Is that all you got?"

He sent more magic my way. I just merely dodged out of the way. Sora looked at me as though I had lost it. Jiminy, who had been hiding in his hood, hopped out of Sora's hood and hopped cautiously over to me. He hopped on to my shoulder and said, "Pyn, what are you doing?"

"I'm distracting Jafar so we can get Jasmine, seal the Keyhole, and get out of here."

I ran to Jafar when he wasn't looking and put in a decent combo, saying "You're not so tough. Why, even the Cave of Wonders Guardian put up a bigger fight than you are now!"

"What?" Jafar yelled. He then realized what I was up to, and then began to fight back again. This time he managed to nick me in the shoulder with his staff. It stung.

"Face it," he said. "Without the Genie, you're all nothing."

_The Genie?_ I wondered. _That's it!_

As he turned from me, I threw my Keyblade like a boomerang. As it came back, I said "The Genie has more power than you'll ever have!"

Genie didn't seem to notice that I had brought him into the picture.

"What?" Jafar asked.

"Yeah," I said. "He gave you your power. He can take it away."

Sora and Aladdin seemed to have caught on to what I was doing. They started creeping up behind Jafar when he turned around to face me.

"Face it, Jafar. You're still just second best."

With that, we let out a storm of attacks. Sora and Aladdin attacked from behind while Donald, Goofy, and I attacked from the front. This caught Jafar by surprise, and within a few seconds it was over. He slowly rose up in the air, and disappeared, screaming in agony.

"Alright!" Sora exclaimed. "We did it!"

We could hear Genie cheering from behind us.

There was one person who wasn't celebrating with us. Aladdin walked over to where Jasmine was laying, most likely to make sure that she was okay. I walked over to him, and everyone else followed.

"It looks like she just passed out," I said, bending down to make sure she was okay myself. I looked up and saw the Keyhole. I got up and began walking towards it. Sora did the same. We were maybe a few feet from it when we heard someone yell behind us.

"Genie, my final wish!"

We looked behind us, all of us. Jafar was floating above the center of the chamber.

_He survived? _I thought.

"I want you to make me an all-powerful genie!"

I looked over at Genie. He didn't seem happy to be granting the request. To everyone's dismay, including his, Genie pointed to Jafar and granted him his wish. He turned away while doing so.

In a burst of magic, Jafar started to grow and then disappeared, taking the floor of the room with him. Underneath where we were standing was a chamber full of moving floors and lava.

"We have to go down there?" Donald asked.

"Yes, Donald," I said. "Yes we do."

Without second guessing ourselves, we looked at each other and nodded. We knew what needed to be done. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Aladdin jumped off the ledge and into the chamber. I didn't right away, because I had a strange feeling come over me.

I turned and looked at Jasmine. I felt as though this would be the last time I'd see her again, the same feeling I had in Wonderland.

I turned to face the chamber, and jumped. _You better still be there when we get back, Jasmine_, I thought. _For Aladdin's sake_.

xxx

I landed with a soft thud. I shuddered, but not because I was cold. I could feel darkness flowing around us, below us.

"You okay, Pyn?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," I said hesitantly. "But it's as though I can _feel_the darkness around us."

"Aw, you're just cold," Donald said.

"Now, wait a minute, Donald. For that to happen, it would have to be cold in here. It's like 120 degrees in here!"

Donald looked at me impatiently. I put my hands up and shook my head.

Suddenly the ground began to shake. Jafar, as a red genie with abs (_That egotistical little—_, I thought) shot out of the lava, laughing. His parrot was flying around, carrying what looked like a black lamp that was similar to the shape of Genie's lamp.

"Look guys!" I pointed to the bird.

"Iago!" Aladdin shouted. Iago laughed and then sped up. "The lamp! Get Jafar's lamp!"

Then the battle for the lamp begun. Sora and I ran towards Iago and jumped up, putting in a good couple of air combos before he flew off in the other direction. Donald cast Blizzard, but it missed by mere inches.

Jafar, sitting on the sidelines, began to throw gigantic fireballs at us. The first one that hit us caused a minor explosion of sorts, knocking all of us back.

"Grrrr!" I hopped back up and yelled in Jafar's general direction. "Really? That was uncalled for!"

"Pyn," Donald said. "Don't encourage him to throw more at us!"

"I wasn't—" As if to prove Donald's point, Jafar threw another fireball at our way. All of us were able to dodge it, but I was caught in what was left of the explosion.

I got up and shook it off as much as I could. I had minor cuts and bruises now, thanks to Jafar and the ability to not keep my mouth shut.

We continued to chase after Iago, attacking him every which way we could while dodging Jafar's attacks. We now knew when to dodge his fireball attacks—he would sink into the lava, and then come back up carrying a boulder, prepared to throw it at us. We knew not to dodge too early also, because then the boulder would most definitely hit us, and we would get caught in the explosion.

We noticed Iago slowing down, and took the opportunity to attack. Sora, Aladdin, and Goofy attack with more melee attacks and Donald and I stood behind a little bit and used mainly magic attacks. Iago was definitely weakening from all of our attacks.

I noticed that he was weakening his grip on the lamp. "Sora, the lamp! Grab it!"

Sora looked down and grabbed the lamp. Iago tried to put up a fight, but was unable to do so, on account of having less energy. Sora held it up and pointed it at Jafar.

"Alright, Jafar," he said. "Back to your lamp!"

A spiral of red smoke enveloped Genie Jafar, starting from his waist and working its way up. The lamp sucked Jafar in, and then he was trapped. A prisoner in his own lamp.

"Looks like we won again," I said.

"Yep," Goofy agreed. "Let's head back up. It's roasting in here."

No could argue with Goofy about that one. I could feel the sweat running down the back of my neck. We all hopped on Carpet and, feeling a little cramped, we headed back up to the rest of the chamber.

Carpet dropped us off at the ledge that led to the Keyhole. There was one thing missing.

"Jasmine?" Aladdin called out to her. "Jasmine!"

_Not again_, I thought.

Sora and I walked up to the Keyhole, and raised our Keyblades up. The Keyhole glowed, along with the Keyblades. As it sealed, sand was being sucked up by the Keyhole. A waterfall of sand covered the Keyhole, making it disappear.

Just then, we felt the earth starting to rumble. Parts of the ceiling were falling off.

"We got to get out of here, or the Cave is going to collapse on top of us!" I exclaimed.

Everyone, except me, climbed aboard Carpet. Genie, no longer bound to Jafar's service and Aladdin his master once more, gave me a lift. I saw that the guys had to hold Aladdin down and keep him from trying to leave the Carpet.

"Jasmine!" he called out as we sped out of the Cave.

xxx

"So, Jasmine is no longer in Agrabah," Aladdin said when we returned to the safety of his house. With the Keyhole sealed, the Heartless were no longer attacking the city.

"Guys, let's go find her!"

Sora and I looked at each other, and then bent our heads down.

"Sorry," Sora began. "But we can't take you with us."

"Wh-why not?"

"I sure wish we could..." Goofy said.

"But we can't. If we take him to another world, we would be..." Donald trailed off.

"Mud-muddling..." Goofy started.

"Meddling!" Donald corrected him.

"Aladdin," I said. "We'll find Jasmine. I promise."

"Uh, earth to Al!" Genie exclaimed. "Hello? You still have one wish left. Look, just say the word. Ask me to find Jasmine for you."

"I," Aladdin began. "I wish...for your freedom, Genie!"

"Al!"

Smoke enveloped Genie. In a split second, he had legs and the golden bracelets he wore were gone.

"A deal's a deal, Genie. Now you can go anywhere you want. You're your own master." He hesitated. "But if you can, it'll be great if you could go along with them and help Sora and Pyn find Jasmine."

"Sorry, Al. I'm done taking orders from others. Now, a favor. That's entirely different. I guess I could give that a try."

Genie walked over to where Aladdin was and wrapped an arm around him. "After all, we're pals, right, Al?"

"Genie..."

"Just leave it to me!"

Aladdin smiled and ran his fingers through his hair, satisfied with Genie's answer.

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I looked at each other and nodded.

"I guess it's about time we left," Jiminy said as he popped out from Sora's hood.

"Yeah," I agreed. "We need to start looking for Jasmine."

"Let's go," Sora said.

We said our goodbyes and head for the Gummi Ship. _First Alice and now Jasmine_, I thought. _Where could they be?  
><em>  
>We hopped in the Gummi Ship and sped towards the next world.<p>

_Could Maleficent have something to do with their disappearances?_

xxx

I was talking to Jiminy about the different enemies we had encountered and about Ansem's reports we the Gummi Ship came to a sudden halt. At that moment, I wished that I had been sitting down.

"What is that?" Donald asked.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed. "It's huge!"

I walked to the front of the ship to see what it was they were talking about. There was a large object obstructing our path. We saw it move and pass over the ship.

"It's a giant whale!" Goofy exclaimed.

"That's Monstro!" Jiminy informed us. "He's a whale of a whale, and vicious besides."

Monstro passed over us again, and then turned around. He was headed straight for us!

"Wak!" Donald exclaimed. "Sora, get us out of here!"

Sora tried to turn the wheel to get us out of the way, but the whale was too close.

"It's too late," he said. "He's gonna swallow us!"

We felt a rumble, and then everything went black.

* * *

><p><em>"Xehanort has made his purpose clear...and I am left with no choice. Forgive me...but you must exist no more." Master Eraqus raised his Keyblade, focusing energy at the tip to aim at the boy.<em>

_Just as soon as the ball of energy left the weapon, it was blocked by the young man. "V—!"_

_"What?"_

_"Master, have you gone mad?"_

_"T—! I command you—step aside!"_

_"No!"_

_"You will not heed your Master?"_

_"I won't!"_

_"Why do all my attempts to reach you fail?" Master Eraqus asked. "If you don't have it in your heart to obey...then you will have to share V—'s fate."_

_The young man blocked the Master's attacks just as quick as they came. The next thing I knew, the boy and young man were sent flying. Then they were standing, and a dark aura was surrounding the young man._

_"You may be my Master. But I will not...let you hurt my friend!"_

_"Has the darkness taken you, Ter—?"_

_Suddenly, a white portal opened behind the young man, and he threw the boy in its direction._

_"Wait, Terra!" The boy exclaimed. Then he disappeared._

_"Ven!" I shouted._

_Master Eraqus and Terra began to fight, Eraqus getting weaker by the minute. Terra defeated him._

_I couldn't hear all of what they were saying after the battle. The only thing I witnessed after that was Master Xehanort striking Master Eraqus from behind._

_"Master Eraqus!" I shouted. I ran over to Terra, who tried to catch the fallen Master, who disappeared in small bursts of light. He had fallen to his knees._

_"Master Eraqus!" he said. I saw teardrops on the ground. Some of my own joined his._

_"Terra..."_

_I looked up just in time to see Master Xehanort, standing over us. I ran up to kick him, but he dodged my attack._

_There were parts of the conversation I didn't catch. I was too mad to bother to hear all of it. The parts I did catch were parts I wish I didn't hear._

_"There you will watch your dear Ventus and A—meet their ends, and the last light within you will die!" Master Xehanort exclaimed._

_He raised his Keyblade towards the sky and fired a beam of darkness into it. A large sphere of darkness was floating above our home._

_"You won't need a home anymore where you're going!"_

_With that, Xehanort disappeared into a black portal. The large sphere was destroying the castle and surrounding area. Terra and I looked at the destruction around us. Then he looked at me._

_"I need to get you somewhere safe, Pyn," he said._

_"Wait!" I exclaimed. "No, Terra!"_

_He opened a portal of light, picked me up, and set me just inside of it._

_"Terra!"_

_The last thing I saw was Terra running off on his Glider, and the rest of the world falling apart, falling to the darkness. Our world, our home...my home._


	14. Monstrous Monstro

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay guys! Life caught up to me. That, and I'm trying to get into the swing of things with school. And sorry that it is so short! I wanted to get this out to guys ASAP!

I also wanted to bring reviews. Please, NO FLAMES! I was kinda hurt and discouraged by the one horrible comment that was left. I appreciate the honesty m, but honestly, I let my haters be my motivators. Yes, I was hurt and peeved, but I'm not letting you stop me from doing something that I love to do.

Those of you who leave encouraging comments, THANK YOU! You guys rock and you guys also motivate me to keep going. You're the best! I guess I will leave you to read now. Enjoy, and, again, I'm sorry it's short! I will try to upload another chapter soon!

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><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen: Monstrous Monstro<strong>

"Ven!" I stirred a little. "Terra!" I sat straight up this time. I looked around, realizing that it was no longer a dream. I was inside the belly of a whale.

"Oh, my head," I said out loud. I looked around again. The area looked as though I were in Monstro's throat, and a very colorful throat it was. Parts of it were raised up high enough that one could actually jump up and get on top of the different platforms. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were nowhere to be found.

"Sora? Donald? Goofy?" No one answered.

_Separated again_, I thought. I walked around to see if I could find an exit. Then I saw someone. It was the boy with blonde, windswept hair.

"Ven," I whispered, mainly for my own sake. I was trying to put the figure in front of me with the name. As if going by instinct, I called out his name again.

"Ven!"

He looked back towards me and nodded. I smiled.

"Ven, I can't believe it's you!" I began to walk towards him, but he turned and ran off.

"Ah, wait!" I ran after him. He ran right through a large opening, which I hopefully assumed lead to the mouth. I crossed the threshold seconds after Ven.

Following Ven was a good idea on my part. He did lead me to the mouth, and up a flight of stairs. When I got up to the top of the stairs, it wasn't Ven I saw.

"Pyn, where have you been?" Sora asked.

"Oh, Sora!" I said. Then I scratched my head. "Guess Monstro swallowed me down a little more than you guys."

"Well, the good thing is that you're okay," Jiminy added.

"A-hyuck! Yeah!" Goofy agreed.

"Oh my goodness! And you, too?"

I turned to see who else had spoken. Standing there was old man wearing a dirtied white, long sleeved shirt with a dark green vest, black trousers, grey socks, and black shoes. He was wearing glasses and he had white hair. Standing next to him was...

"Pinocchio! How did you get here?" I asked.

He only shook his head and shrugged.

"My name is Geppetto," the older man introduced himself. "I'm Pinocchio's father. When we got separated, I traveled all over, looking for him. Thank goodness we're together again."

He picked up a huge green block and began carrying towards a bed he had set up on the deck. "So, you seem to know Pinocchio quite well. I hope he was a good boy in my absence."

The four of us looked at each other, not entirely knowing what he was talking about. Donald and I shrugged.

"Well, we've all had quite a journey. Right, Pinocchio?"

No one answered. "Pinocchio?" Geppetto called out.

We looked around, but Pinocchio was nowhere to be found. I looked towards Monstro's throat and caught a glimpse of one of Pinocchio's legs.

"Guys," I softly nudged Sora in the ribs. "Pinocchio went that way." I pointed towards the throat.

"Okay," Sora said. "Let's go get him."

With that, we ran into the throat to look for Pinocchio. When we entered the chamber, we didn't have far to look. Pinocchio was right at the entrance to the next chamber.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked. "Come on, let's go back."

"You know," Goofy began. "Geppetto's awfully worried about you."

"Pinocchio, stop fooling around!" I said. "This is no time for games!"

We turned to leave, but before we could, we heard someone behind us.

"But, Sora, Pyn," that someone began. "I thought you liked games."

We turned and noticed that it was Riku, of all people.

"Or are you guys too cool to play them now that you have the Keyblades?"

"Riku!" I exclaimed.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" Sora asked.

"Just playing with Pinocchio."

"You know what I mean!" Sora exclaimed. "Where's Kairi? Did you find her?"

"Maybe," was Riku's answer. "Catch us, and maybe I'll tell you what I know."

"Come on!"

Riku grabbed a hold of Pinocchio's hand, and led him into the next chamber.

"Hmm." I crossed my arms, and was deep in thought. _How did Riku even get here?_

"Come on," Sora urged. "Let's go!"

"But—"

"Pyn, he might know something about Kairi!"

"Yeah, but think about it—" But he never did. Sora, Donald, and Goofy ran ahead and were already in the next chamber.

I bent my head down, shook it in disappointment, and then headed into the next chamber.

_Why is it that when I have something important to say, he walks off? _I wondered.

It was a good thing that I had entered the chamber, because the others were fighting a group of Heartless. This group included the usual Shadows, a Large Body, and a new type - a Search Ghost.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed as the Search Ghost attacked me. I pulled out my Keyblade and blocked its attacks. I whacked it a few times before it recovered and attacked me again. I dodged it, blocked it, and attacked it again until it disappeared. Knowing that had been too easy a fight, I looked around to find it. It reappeared behind me and grabbed a hold of me. It felt as though it were draining the life out of me.

"Ngh," was all I could say.

"Hold on, Pyn!" I heard Goofy say.

I felt the weight of the Search Ghost being lifted off of my shoulders. I felt pretty weak.

"Cure!" Donald shouted.

I felt the effects immediately. "Thank you!"

By the time I recovered, Sora, Donald, and Goofy finished off the Heartless. "You okay?" Sora asked.

"Yeah," I gasped. "I'm fine."

I stood up straight and looked through the opening to the next chamber. "If they're not here, then they gotta be further in," I said.

"Yeah," Sora agreed.

"Well let's go get them, then," Jiminy urged.

We ran through to the next chamber, continuing to look for Pinocchio and Riku.

_Alright, Riku_, I thought. _You want to play _Hide-n-Seek_, then let's play! And then you're gonna tell us what's going on._


	15. A Very Small Wish

Author's Note: Hey guys! Got another chapter for ya. I promise I did not fall off the face of the earth. Just dealing with school and home life. I have also rekindled my love for the Legend of Zelda. I had been playing that (Skyward Sword ^-^) and Epic Mickey. But I promise not to keep you waiting for the next few chapters.

So here you go, Chapter Fourteen!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen: A Very Small Wish<strong>

The four of us must have gone through a dozen or so chambers before we finally caught up to Pinocchio. As we followed him into yet another chamber, we saw him run past Riku into another chamber.

_How many chambers are there?_ I thought. _I didn't think that Monstro was _this _big!_

We stopped in front of Riku, who was standing on a platform in front of the chamber Pinocchio entered.

"Riku," Sora exhaled. "What's the matter with you? What are you thinking?"

"Don't you realize what you're doing?" I asked him.

Riku put a hand on his hip. "I was about to ask you both the same thing." He pointed to us and the Keyblades. "You guys only seem interested in running around and showing off those Keyblades these days."Reply to Brittany Self

_That's not true_, I thought.

"Do you even want to save Kairi?"

"I do," was Sora's answer.

_So do I_, I thought. _ She's my best friend_. I looked up at Riku. I was really hurt by what he was saying, making it seem as though we didn't care. _What's wrong with you, Riku?_

I was brought out of my thoughts by the sound of screaming.

"AH!"

"Pinocchio!" I exclaimed, realizing who the scream belonged to. I turned to Sora, "We have to help him!"

Sora nodded. He ran off, with Donald, Goofy, and I following. Riku followed closely behind me.

When we entered the chamber, we saw what had caused Pinocchio to scream. He had been captured and caged by a purple and blue, tentacled Heartless with a cage for a belly.

"Parasite Cage," I whispered, remembering it from Ansem's Reports.

An imaged flashed before my eyes. I could see a black and red creature that sort of resembled a Guard Armor, and saw three figures standing before it, weapons readied. Two of them were Ven and Terra, and the other was the blue-haired young woman from the dreams.

"Wha—?" I wondered. I closed my eyes and shook my head. The Parasite Cage was back in front of me.

Riku looked at me, and then at Sora. "You up for this?"

Sora and I readied ourselves for battle, Donald and Goofy doing the same. "No problem," Sora said. "Let's do it!"

"Hmph."

_What is his problem?_

"Don't worry, Pinocchio," I called out to him. "We'll get you out of there!"

"Okay," Pinocchio murmured.

Riku and I were the first to act. Riku jumped up to attack the head while I went after the creature's stomach. Sora came to help me while Donald and Goofy attacked the tentacles.

It was a little difficult to fight the Parasite Cage. It was constantly moving, so it was hard to land a hit on the bars of its cage-like stomach. Even with Donald and Goofy attacking the tentacle arms, Sora and I still had to bat those away long enough for us to free Pinocchio from the cage.

Riku had been trying to hit the head of the Heartless, but was only able to hit it a few times due to the arms. I stopped hitting the cage and cast Blizzard on both of the arms. They stopped moving, and Riku was able to get to the head a lot easier. After a few more combos, the creature was knocked unconscious, and everyone was able to concentrate on the stomach. With everyone's combined effort, Pinocchio was freed.

The Parasite Cage began to shake. It jumped up and grabbed onto a ledge. After a moment, it spit Pinocchio out and disappeared. A hole in the floor of the chamber opened up, and he fell through it. Riku followed after him.

"Let's go make sure Pinocchio is okay," I said. "He looked pretty scared."

"Yeah," Sora agreed.

"Geppetto will sure be happy to know he's alright," Goofy pointed out.

"Yeah, but—" Donald was interrupted by a rumbling. Monstro began to shake.

"I don't think that Monstro liked that one bit," I said. "Let's go find Pinocchio."

One by one, the four of us jumped into the hole after Riku and Pinocchio.

xxx

"Pinocchio!" We heard Geppetto shouting. "Pinocchio! Please! Give me back my son!"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I landed on the deck of Geppetto's ship with a soft thud. We looked to see what was causing him so much distress. Across from us on the other side of Monstro's mouth, I could see Riku holding an unconscious Pinocchio.

"Sorry, old man," Riku said. "I have some unfinished business with this puppet."

"He's no puppet! Pinocchio is my little boy," Geppetto argued.

"He is unusual. Not many puppets have hearts." He paused a moment, as if remembering something. "I'm not sure, but maybe he can help someone who's lost theirs."

Sora quickly looked up at him, and took a step forward. "Wait a minute," he said. "Are you talking about Kairi?"

"What do you care about her?" With that, Riku walked off with Pinocchio.

"Riku!" I called out. But he didn't stop.

_What is his deal?_ I wondered. I looked over to the others. "Come on! We've gotta stop Riku and get Pinocchio back."

The others nodded in agreement. I walked over to Geppetto and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll get him back. I promise."

"Thank you so much," he said.

"Let's go guys."

We climbed our way up to the throat. When we entered the chamber, I looked up. The others mimicked my motions.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed.

"This chamber's different," I said.

"We have to climb all the way up there?" Donald squawked.

"Yep."

Donald didn't like the idea of that one bit.

We began to climb up using the different platforms as stairs. We met several obstacles, to include the annoying Search Ghosts and Barrel Spiders, but we finally made it to the stomach.

_Monstro's anatomy sure is weird_, I thought.

I looked around the stomach. To us, it could have passed as a small ballroom. There were several platforms attached to the walls of the chamber, and part of the floor was composed of stomach acid.

_Wouldn't want to touch that_, I thought.

I looked around some more, and that's when I saw Riku and Pinocchio on a platform across the acid from us. Sora noticed, too.

"Hey, let Pinocchio go, Riku," he said.

Riku looked at us, and then back at Pinocchio. "A puppet that's lost its heart to the Heartless," he began. "Maybe it holds the key to helping Kairi." He turned to us and said, "How about it, Sora? Let's join forces to save her. We can do it, together." As he said this, he walked over the acid and towards us.

I folded my arms. _Hey, what about me?_ I wondered.

Sora readied his Keyblade. I looked at him in shock and confusion. "Sora?"

"What? You'd rather fight me? Over a puppet that has no heart?"

"Heart or no heart," Sora began. "At least he still has a conscience."

"Conscience?"

"You might not hear it, but right now it's loud and clear. And it's telling me you're on the wrong side!"

At that, Donald, Goofy, and I had our weapons readied.

"Then you leave me no choice."

I lowered my weapon a little. "Riku…what's gotten into you?"

He didn't answer me. I was about to say something else when I saw a small light shine. I looked over towards Pinocchio. He was okay. Jiminy was jumping up and down next to him.

_Whew!_ I thought.

I looked back to Riku, who was just standing there. _Something's not right_, I thought. _Why is he doing this?_ But I had no time to ponder the problem with Riku. The Parasite Cage dropped in front of us, breaking our line of sight to Riku.

"Again?" I asked, slightly irritated. "I thought we beat that already?'

"Guess not," was Donald's answered.

I ran over to Pinocchio and helped him up. "You need to get out of here!"

"But—"

Jiminy shook his head. "You need to let Geppetto know you're safe. You need to be with him."

"Alright, Jiminy." Pinocchio took off with hesitation. I had to give him props for wanting to help.

Jiminy hopped into one of the pockets of my shorts, and I ran over to join the others. They had already started to fight the Parasite Cage, using the same strategy as last time. I jumped up onto on to one of the surrounding platforms and began casting Fire spells at the creature's head. It began to turn towards me, and dug its tentacle arms into the stomach acid. I saw that it was sucking it in through the arms.

"Uh oh," I said.

I jumped off of the platform I was on and landed on the next one, just in time to avoid being hit by an acid burp.

"What the—?" I heard Donald squawk.

"When did it learn to do that?" Sora asked.

"Just now, I guess," I said. The Parasite Cage swung an arm at me, and I ducked. "We need to make sure it can't get its arms in the acid again, or we're going to be digested by Monstro."

"What are we gonna do?"

"Same thing as last time, I guess. For now, anyway."

So we did just that. I jumped onto a higher platform, one that was at the same level as the Heartless's head. Donald cast Blizzard on the arms, and I attacked the head. When the creature was unconscious, Sora, Donald, and Goofy attacked the stomach. I joined them, and noticed that there was something different about it this time.

"I'm pretty sure this black orb wasn't here last time," I said.

"Maybe that's what we need to destroy to get rid of it for good?" Goofy wondered.

"Maybe." I swung at the orb. As I did, bits and pieces of it were flying off. I kept swinging, putting in a few good combos until the Parasite Cage woke up, and covered up its stomach. Then it batted us away.

"Well, that answers that question."

We kept to our usual strategy, adding quicker combos when attacking the orb in its stomach. The more we attacked the orb, though, the more difficult the Parasite Cage made it for us to defeat it.

I cast Cure to heal everyone. I could tell we really needed it, due to being batted away by its arms and being breathed on by acid burps.

"Okay," I said. "New strategy."

"Really?" Sora asked.

"Yeah. You and Goofy keep attacking the stomach, and I'll cover you by freezing its arms." I turned to Donald. "Donald, I'm going to attack the head, and I need you to cover me. Okay?"

"Got it," Donald said.

I jumped up onto one of the higher platforms, and cast Blizzard on its arms. I then cast Thunder and Fire spells on the Parasite Cage's head. This knocked it out long enough for Sora and Goofy to attack the black orb.

_This should work_, I thought.

Sora and Goofy had put in several combos before the Heartless woke up. After four cycles, the black orb was reduced to just a ball of darkness.

"One more hit should do it!" Sora exclaimed.

"Roger that!" I called out.

By now, the Parasite Cage had become really weak. It had stopped flailing its arms around, but it was still strong enough to suck up stomach acid and shoot poisonous fumes. It shot fumes at me. I tried to dodge out of the way, but I was too late. Thankfully, Donald was able to heal me.

"Thanks!" I exclaimed.

"Your welcome—WAK!"

The Parasite Cage wrapped on of its tentacles around Donald's waist and picked him up.

"Put me down!" he shouted. "Put me down!"

I cast Thunder on its head. Its stomach opened up and the last of the orb was exposed. Sora took the opportunity to finish it off. The parasite cage shook, released a heart, and then disappeared, falling into the floor of the chamber as it did.

Unfortunately for Donald, he was still up in the air as this happened, so he fell into the acid and then jumped even higher in the air, and then landed on a covered part of the stomach.

"YEOW!" he squawked.

He sat up, and rubbed his rump. I cast Cure just to be safe. I still couldn't help but smile a little.

"Are you okay, Donald?" I managed to say, stifling a giggle.

"Ah...grrrr," he grumbled.

Suddenly, the entire room began to shake. Green smoke began to emerge from the walls and rise from the acid moat surrounding us.

_Uh oh_, I thought.

"Run!" Donald shouted.

Goofy and himself didn't hesitate to do so. I ran in their general direction, but stopped when I heard Sora call out, "Riku! Riku, where are you?"

I looked around. Riku was nowhere to be found. But there was no time to ponder where he had gone to.

"Sora! Come on!" I exclaimed. "We've gotta get out of here!"

We ran for it. We practically flew down the throat, and made it back to the mouth. Donald was starting up the Gummi Ship when we got to it—and just in time, too.

"Look!" Goofy pointed towards the front of the ship. We could see Monstro's teeth starting to pull apart, and we could see outside.

"He's opening up his mouth!" Donald exclaimed. He seemed really happy about that.

We felt another rumble, and I heard a strange noise. "Did you hear that?" I asked.

"What?"

"It almost sounds like someone's stomach is growling."

"Maybe it's just your imagination."

I heard it again, and then we were we suddenly launched out of Monstro. _Were we upchucked, or was he sneezing?_ I wondered.

"I sure hope Pinocchio and Geppetto are okay," Goofy said.

"Yeah, hopefully they landed somewhere safely," Donald added.

I nodded in agreement. I looked over to Sora, who was looking out of the window. "Riku..." I heard him mutter.

I looked down, and then pulled out my lucky charm. I just sat there, looking at it. I had really given it much thought, but now that I had remembered Ven and Terra, maybe looking at it would help me to remember the young woman. That's when I noticed what it looked like—a paopu fruit. A voice rang in my head: _Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit, and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So, as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing will ever drive you apart. You'll always find your way back to each other._

_Was this what she was talking about?_ I wondered. I held it up a little higher.

"Whatcha got there, Pyn?" Goofy asked me.

"A good luck charm a friend made me." I sighed. "I wish I could remember who she was."

"Have you remembered anything about those friends of yours?" Jiminy asked. "Anything at all?"

"A little. Just two of their names and what they look like."

"Who are they?" Donald asked.

"Ven and Terra. But I somehow get the feeling that Ven and I were really close, and that Terra was like the big brother that I never had. I still can't remember the young woman's name."

"Well, this is progress!" Jiminy exclaimed, and began writing in his journal.

"I'm sure you'll remember, Pyn," Sora said. "You're usually good at remembering stuff like that."

I smiled a little. "Thanks, Sora. And don't worry. We'll find Riku and find out what his deal is."

"Yeah, you're right, as always."

We felt the Gummi Ship speed up. I stood up and walked over to Donald.

"So, where to next?" I asked.


	16. Atlantica

Author's Note: So, as I was finishing this chapter, I planned out how the rest of the story would go. And I figured out that there are at least 10 more chapters left for _Re: Kingdom Hearts_. So 10 more chapters.

I'm already brainstorming for _Chain of Memories_, and right now I figured that I'm probably going to stick to the main plot. If there is a particular world that you would like to see Sora, Pyn, and the gang visit that had to do with _CoM_, let me know, because I will probably only stick to using the worlds that were the most significant to the plot (i.e. Traverse Town, Destiny Islands). So, again, let me know which ones you'll be interested in seeing.

Enough of my rambling though, enjoy the chapter!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen: Atlantica<strong>

"Okay guys, prepare for landing!" Donald exclaimed.

"We're here already?" I asked. What was a thirty minute drive felt like a ten minute trip. I looked out of the window and saw a world that was covered in just water. I could make out a city, a shipwreck, and a creepy looking grotto.

"Land where?" Sora asked. "In the sea?"

"We'll drown!"

"Not with my magic, we won't," Donald argued. "Just leave it to me!"

Sora and I looked at each other. "Alright," we said together.

We got up from our seats and walked over to Donald. _If Donald's going to be the one helping us land_, I thought, _then he better know what he's doing_.

I didn't hear what Donald had said, but the next thing I knew, there was a bright light and we were no longer in the Gummi Ship. We were now underwater, and breathing.

I looked around at our new surroundings. There were little patches of seaweed, some coral, and shells scattered around. In the middle was large shell laying on top of a rock, big enough to hide someone in.

I tried to walk forward, but I couldn't feel my legs. I looked down and saw a tail.

"What the—?" Out of instinct, I grabbed a hold of my throat. When I didn't begin to blackout or choke, I took a deep breath. I was definitely surprised that I could breathe underwater. I looked at my tail. It was purple, and the small seashell top I had on was a dark blue. I could have sworn that if you looked closer at the scales on my tail, you could have made out the shape of my good luck charm.

I looked around towards the others. Donald now had blue tentacles, Goofy was now a turtle, and Sora was half dolphin.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed.

"This is really neat, Donald," I said. "I didn't know you could do this!"

Sora and I swam around, trying out our new tails. I thought I was doing better than him, but began to think differently when we kept bumping into each other. It was a lot harder than it looked.

_Sure hope none of the locals see us_, I thought. I heard voices coming around the bend, and wished I hadn't thought that.

I saw a girl, maybe two years older than us, with red hair swimming towards our little spot. She had a green tail and was wearing a purple top like the one I had on. Swimming behind her in a rather hurried fashion was a small yellow and blue-striped fish and a small red crab.

"A mermaid?" I wondered out loud.

"Yeah," Donald said. "Kinda like you."

"Oh, right." Bumping into Sora had taken its toll. But I was getting the hang of swimming down here.

"Ariel, wait!" the crab shouted. "Slow down! Don't leave me behind!"

The crab swam past the mermaid a little, and when it saw us, it freaked out.

"Relax, Sebastian," the mermaid said. "They don't look like one of them." She turned to the fish. "Right, Flounder?"

"I don't know," the little fish replied. "There's something weird about them."

Sora and I laughed nervously. As he pushed himself up more, Sora asked, "What do you mean?"

The mermaid, Ariel, swam around us. "They do seem...a little different," she said. "Where are you from?"

"We're from kinda far away," Sora said. "And we're not really used to these waters." He laughed nervously again.

"It was sort of a long swim," I added.

Ariel looked thoughtful, and finally said, "Oh, I see. In that case, Sebastian can show you how we swim around here."

The crab did not like that idea.

"Ariel, King Triton will not like dis!" he argued.

"Oh, don't worry!"

"Easy for you to say..." Sebastian mumbled. He turned to Sora, the others, and I.

"Okay," he began. "It's time ya learn how ta swim properly. Practice swimmin' wit Flounder. Try ta tag 'im."

I looked over to Flounder. He still seemed to be afraid of us. I nodded.

"Alright," Sebastian continued. "Begin."

Flounder swam up high, and we began to chase him. Sora and I were bumping into each other a little. Donald and Goofy seemed to be getting it quicker than we were. When we finally reached him, he swam underneath us and hid under Sebastian. I got to Flounder, but then missed him by a hair.

_Come on_, I thought. _Butterfly kick. Butterfly kick._

Sora, Donald, and Goofy had it down pretty well. Flounder swam just above Ariel. I was the first one to Flounder this time. This continued on five more times. The four of us were pretty much experts now.

_We're fast learners_, I thought.

"Good job," I heard Sebastian say. "Now, let's work on self-defense."

"Sebastian!" We looked to where Ariel was pointing. Around the corner were two Heartless.

Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian swam away from them, looking for places to hide.

"Class is over," Sebastian said quickly. "Good luck."

Before we could say anything, we were fighting the two squid-like Heartless in front of us.

_Guess we'll have to figure it out on our own_, I thought. _Hopefully it won't be that hard_.

The Heartless were the first to attack. They began by using a spinning attack. Sora and I dodged, and Goofy blocked by ducking into his shell. Donald was the only unfortunate one of us, and was hit as he was ducking out of the way.

"WAK!"

"Donald, are you alright?" I asked, as I batted one of the Heartless away.

"Aahhhh...Grrrr," Donald mumbled. "THUNDER!"

The Heartless closest to Goofy disappeared in a puff of black smoke. One could have mistaken it for ink. We quickly dispatched the other one, and gave the all clear for Ariel, Flounder, and Sebastian to come out of their hiding spots.

"Oh my," I heard Jiminy say.

I looked around. "Jiminy? Are you down here, too?"

"Yes, but not as myself." I felt something crawling through my hair. Thinking it was a piece of kelp or munny, I pulled my fingers through my hair. Sure enough, that's where I found Jiminy.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked.

"I'll be fine," he said. "Although, it's gonna take a while to get use to this."

I could see what he meant. Because of Donald's magic, Jiminy was now a shrimp.

"You can stay in my hair, Jiminy," I said. "But you'll have to hold in tight, especially when we're swimming."

"Works for me," Jiminy agreed.

Jiminy hid himself just in time, because Ariel came out of her hiding spot.

"Where's Sebastian and Flounder?" she asked.

Sora shook his head and shrugged.

"Let us outta here!"

I looked towards in the center of the little cove we were in. The voice was coming from there. I swam over there and hit the clam. It opened up quickly, and Flounder and Sebastian swam out.

"I believe that answers that question," Donald said.

"Those creatures chased us here," Ariel said.

"Oh no!" Sebastian exclaimed. "Those monstas might be headin' for da palace, too!"

"We'd better head back right away!"

"But," Flounder interjected. "Wh-what if we run into more of them on our way?"

Ariel looked to us. "I'm sorry, but we need your help. Please come to the palace with us.

"We can't let that happen, Sora," I said.

"Right." Sora turned to Ariel and said, "Sure, we'll help."

"Great!" Ariel exclaimed. "The trident markers on the walls point the way there. We won't get lost as long as we follow them."

"Okay," I said. I turned to the guys and whispered, "Let's make sure that we're good items-wise before we head out."

"Alright, mom," Sora teased me. I gave him the meanest look I could give him. "Heh, I was just kidding."

We looked over what we had and decided it would be enough for the trip to the palace and then some.

"Alright," Donald said. "We're good to go."

Turning so that I was facing everyone, I said, "Okay, let's get going."

Sora, the others, and I spread out between Ariel and her friends—I took the lead, Sora the middle, and Donald and Goofy took the rear. It wasn't too hard to maneuver through the canyons and many grottos of Atlantica due to the trident markers. We did have some troubles along the way, between fighting the Heartless and chasing down a dolphin to help us ride the strong currents. We finally made it outside the palace, but were met with more Heartless.

"More Heartless?" Goofy asked.

"AHH!" Flounder screamed. He swam as fast as he could towards the palace. I swam behind him to stop the Heartless from following him.

"It seems that the further we go on our journey, the more numerous the Heartless are," I pointed out as I was fighting a green, cone-headed Heartless carrying a spear.

"Journey?" Ariel asked.

"Uh...our swim here," Sora quickly said.

"Oh." Ariel was helping Sora get rid of an enormous Heartless that sort of resembled a mix between an angler fish and a Large Body. It was big enough that some of the green, cone-headed Heartless were carrying it. But with their combined effort, Ariel and Sora were able to take care of it.

_Ariel's a good fighter_, I thought.

When all of the Heartless were gone, we made our way to the palace. We were swimming through a long hallway, and at the end of it I could see a chamber surrounded by columns. The closer we got, I could see a tall throne in the middle. Sitting there was an older looking merman, with a blue tail, and had a long white beard and long white hair. He was holding a trident, matching the trident markers we had seen on the walls. He was also wearing a golden crown.

_Must be the King_, I thought.

As I entered, I saw him raise the trident and point it in our direction. At first, I thought he was raising it against us, but then I looked behind me and realized what really caused him alarm. Heartless had followed us into the palace.

I stopped, allowing everyone else to pass me. I turned around, about to fight when lightning struck in front of me, making the Heartless disappear. Ariel swam up next to me. I turned and faced the king immune throne.

"That was too close," he said in a thundering voice. "As long as I have my trident, I will not tolerate those creatures inside this palace."

Ariel swam up closer to the man, and I joined Sora and the others.

"Daddy!" Ariel exclaimed.

Sora and I looked at each other. "Daddy?" Sora asked. I only shrugged.

"Oh, Ariel! When will you listen?" her father asked. "It's dangerous out there!"

"Umm..." she began.

"Strange creatures lurk outside."

Sebastian swam a little closer to Ariel's father, but kept his distance. He cleared his throat. "Behold," he said. "You swim before the ruler of the seas: His Majesty, King Triton."

Looking at us, and then at Ariel, King Triton asked," And who are they?"

"They helped us fight off those creatures," Ariel explained.

"They don't look familiar."

"We're from an ocean very far away," Sora said.

_I hate lying about that_, I thought. _But it's the only way to keep the worlds in order._

"Yup," Goofy agreed. "We came to find the Keyhole."

"The what?" Triton asked.

I wanted to slap my forehead.

"What's that?" Ariel asked.

"Well, it's a—" Goofy began.

"There's no such thing," Triton quickly said. "Certainly not here."

"But, Daddy..."

Ariel's arguing didn't help with Triton's growing anger.

"Ariel, not another word! You are not to leave the palace. Is that clear?"

Ariel didn't answer. She merely turned around in a defiant manner and swam away. Sora, Donald, Goofy and I swam after her.

_King Triton seemed really upset about the idea of a Keyhole being here_, I thought. _Like he knows where it is. Wonder if he'll tell us where it is if we tell him why we're really here.  
><em>  
>As we followed her out of the palace, Ariel said, "Come to my grotto. I want to show you something."<p>

We followed her out of the city. In one of the areas we passed on the way to the palace, Ariel led us to a few boulders. She pulled one out of the way, revealing a tunnel. We followed her through the tunnel and into a small room with a somewhat vaulted ceiling. The ridges of the rooms seemed to serve as shelves, as they were full of all sorts of things. Each shelf contained anything from kitchenware to watches. One thing in particular caught my eye. On the wall across from where we were floating was a blue indention, shaped like a trident.

"Wow!" Sora exclaimed.

"Look at all the wonderful things Flounder and I've collected," Ariel said. "I think it's all from the outside world. Someday, I'm going to see what's out there. I want to see other worlds. Does that sound strange?"

Sora and I, knowing the feeling, shook our heads. "No, not at all," I said.

"We used to feel the same way," Sora added.

"Used to?" Ariel asked.

"I mean...we still do."

"Hey, why don't we try looking for that Keyhole you were talking about?"

"But, your father said—" I began.

"Oh, he treats me like a little girl. He never wants to let me do anything." She paused a little, raking a deep breath. "He just...he just doesn't understand."

Everyone was silent. It didn't last long though. Ariel broke the silence by asking, "What are your names, exactly?"

The four of us looked at each other.

"We're sorry," I said. "I'm Pynelopie. But everyone just calls me Pyn. This is Sora, Donald, and Goofy."

"Nice to meetcha, Ariel," Goofy said. "You too, Flounder."

"Now that we're all acquainted," Donald said.

"Let's go look for that Keyhole," Ariel said.

"Okay," I said, reluctantly.

"But where do you look for a Keyhole?" Sora asked.

That stumped everyone. _Where would you look?_I wondered.

"There's a sunken ship near here," Ariel pointed out. "Maybe your Keyhole's there."

The four of us looked at each other. "Only one way to find out," Sora said.

With that, the six of us swam out of the tunnel, with Ariel in the lead, and headed for the sunken ship.


	17. An Adventure in Atlantica

Author's Note: So, sorry it took a while for me to get this chapter up. But here it is! There is a definite twist at the end. It was going to end a lot differently, but I thought of something else that tickled my fancy a little more. So, you guys are in for a surprise!

I would also like to mention that I now have a deviantART account, so that you guys can see what Pyn looks like and all of the other artwork that has to do with my fanfics. Unfortunately, I was unable to put the direct links onto my profile page -_- So, you guys are just gonna have to put my name in the Search bar. Sorry guys!

Anyway, my deviantART account will be updated with two new pictures of Pyn for her time in Atlantica and for the next chapter, so be looking for those in the next few days!

Enough of my rambling though. On with the chapter!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Sixteen: An Adventure in Atlantica<strong>

"This place looks...creepy," I said. "And kinda sad."

Ariel had led us to a sunken ship that was on the outskirts. "This is where Flounder and I find all of our treasures," she said.

"Then the Keyhole may be here," Sora said.

"Let's go look!" Ariel was a little too excited about this.

We swam into the only opening of the ship. It was pretty barren, with only a chest occupying it. We followed a set of stairs that lead to a cargo hold, where we found a clam and some boxes around. I swam over to the clam and opened it, finding a Potion. We swam back up to where the other chest was, and were nearly attacked by a vicious looking shark that busted through the only window.

"What's his problem?" I asked.

"He's just a big bully," was Flounder's answer.

After the shark left, Sora swam up and opened the chest. Inside was a crystal miniature of a trident.

"Hmm."

"What is it, Ariel?" I asked.

"Its shape reminds me of something."

I thought about it for a moment. _It does seem...familiar_.

"Well," Sora said. "Let's take it back to the grotto."

"Okay," everyone agreed.

We carefully swam out of the hole left by the shark. Little did we know that he was waiting for us.

"Look out!" Ariel shouted.

Sora and I looked just in time to notice the shark charging at us. We swam out of the way, only for Sora to drop the crystal trident. Seeing it plummet to the bottom, I swam as fast as I could to save it, with the shark following close behind me. As I grabbed a hold of the small trident, I summoned my Keyblade, and spun around quickly, slashing my weapon at the shark. A burst of wind and light slashed across the shark, causing it to spin uncontrollably backwards and into an anchor, knocking it out.

"What the—?" I heard Sora, Donald, and Goofy exclaim.

_Where did that come from?_I wondered. I shook my head. "Let's get out of here, before it comes around!" I called out to the others.

Without hesitation, we swam for the exit.

_And we didn't even find the Keyhole_, I thought. _Stupid shark!_

xxx

"That was definitely close," Sora exhaled as we entered Ariel's grotto.

"You can say that again!" Donald exclaimed.

"That was definitely close," I repeated, just to lighten the mood.

Everyone laughed.

"Hey, look!" Ariel exclaimed.

Everyone looked at what she was pointing to. She pointed to the trident shaped hole in her wall. It looked similar to the crystal trident they had just found in the sunken ship.

"I knew that shape looked familiar!"

Sora swam up to the hole, taking the crystal trident from my hands, and placed it in like a puzzle piece.

"It fits," I whispered.

We stared at it for a moment. Everyone was silent. And then we all jumped.

"Ariel! You've disobeyed me again!"

Everyone turned around, and we came face to face with King Triton.

"I told you not to leave the palace!" he thundered.

I noticed his eyes widen. He raised his trident above his head, lightning shooting out of its end. That's when I realized what was going on.

So did Ariel. "Daddy, no!"

Before anyone could stop him, lightning struck the crystal trident, causing it to shatter.

"How could you..." Ariel said quietly. She swam away, sobbing.

King Triton watched Ariel leave, and then turned to us.

"Young man and young lady," he thundered. "You are not from another ocean. You're from another world."

Sora and I looked at each other and then at King Triton.

"Then you must be the key bearers."

"How did you know that?" Sora asked.

"You may fool Ariel, but you can't fool me," was his answer. "You don't know your dorsal fin from your tail."

"Aw."

"As the key bearers, you must already know...one must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds."

As he said this, I remembered what the man Master Eraqus had said about the order of the worlds: _Lastly, remember that order must be kept. You cannot tell anyone there are other worlds._

"Of course we know that," Sora said, breaking me from my thoughts. "But..."

"You have violated this principle. The key bearers shatter peace, and bring ruin."

"Aw, Sora and Pyn are not like that," Goofy said, coming to our defense.

"I thank you for saving my daughter," King Triton said. "But there is no room in my ocean for you or your keys!" With that, he swam off, leaving us to think about what he had said, what we had done.

Without thinking about it, I summoned my Keyblade. I lifted it close to my face, studying it as I did. I hadn't really looked at it closely, so I figured now would be as good a time as any. It was very unique. The more I studied it, the more I realized that I actually recognized parts of it and identified them as pieces of Terra and Ven's Keyblades. Even part of it was a piece of the blue-haired young woman's Keyblade.

_Why haven't I noticed this before?_ I wondered. _What does it mean?_

Sora broke me from my thoughts yet again.

"But we haven't done anything wrong!" he exclaimed. "How can he say that?"

"Sora, calm down," I said.

He immediately calmed down, and looked at me.

"He's right, Sora. No one else is supposed to know about the different worlds, but us."

"But—"

I shook my head, stopping him from speaking. "You're right, too. We've only been going around and helping the worlds, not ruining them. Each time we go to a different world, we seal a Keyhole. Which is our main goal, right?"

Sora nodded, and smiled. "Yeah! You're right."

I smiled. "So, we just need to prove him wrong. We need to show King Triton that we mean to help this world."

"Yeah," Goofy agreed. "Ya can't let what he said bring ya down!"

"Remember, happy faces!" Donald said.

Sora laughed, which became contagious rather quickly. But a shout broke our laughter off short.

"Sora! Pyn!"

We turned and noticed Flounder speeding towards us.

"What's the matter, Flounder?" I asked.

"King Triton..." he huffed. "Ariel...they're..."

"Hold on. Take a minute and breathe."

Flounder took my advice. Within seconds, he began again. "Ariel and King Triton, they're in trouble!"

"What?" Sora and I exclaimed.

"We better go help them!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Right," I said.

We followed Flounder out of the grotto, and towards the palace.

_I hope they're alright_, I thought.

We got to the palace faster than we did last time. As we swam into the hallway that leads to the throne room, we could hear voices carrying down the hall. One of them was Ariel's, but the other voice I couldn't recognize. I could tell it was a woman's, but it sounded older and a little raspy.

"Ursula, no!" we heard Ariel call out. "I didn't want this!"

"Why not?" the older woman asked. "Aren't you tired of following you're dear Daddy's orders?"

I assumed that this was Ursula, and instantly hated her. I swam faster.

"Oh, yes," Ursula continued to say. "We had a deal didn't we? Time for a little journey—to the dark world of the Heartless!"

I swam even faster, Sora, Flounder, and the others following close behind me.

"We cannot find the Keyhole," a slippery voice said.

"The Keyhole is not here," said another slippery voice. They sounded almost similar.

"What?" Ursula cried out.

The purple-skinned, half octopus must have heard us coming, because she looked over her shoulder and said, "Why, we have company."

Sora had taken the lead, which most likely prompted her to say, "I'm afraid you're a little late handsome." She raised the Royal Trident, and disappeared in a puff of black smoke, along with two eels.

We swam up closer to where Ariel and King Triton were. The king was sitting on his throne, looking very weary and worn out.

"Daddy," Ariel said quietly.

"The Trident," Triton managed to say. "We must get it back.

"Come on," Sora said. "Let's go."

We turned around and began swimming off. Ariel swam right in front of us.

"Wait," she said. "I'm going with you. My father's hurt and it's all my fault. I have to stop Ursula!"

"That's right," Sebastian said. "I'm right behind you, Ariel!"

Sora and I looked around the group. Everyone was in consensus.

"Let's get going then," I said.

"Wait."

We turned around to face King Triton. "Ursula draws power from her cauldron. In order to defeat her, strike her cauldron with magic."

I bowed my head. "Thank you, Your Majesty," I said. "For the tip."

With that, we set off to Ursula's lair.

xxx

"Well, this is definitely the right address," Sora said.

Sebastian led our group past the sunken ship and behind a boulder marked with a grim looking painting into a dark underwater cavern. Which just so happened to be lined with Search Ghosts.

"Clean up time," I said.

Sora and I summoned our Keyblades, and Donald and Goofy pulled out their weapons. With Ariel's help, we were able to fight our way to Ursula's grotto.

"Survey says Ursula left these guys here to slow us down," I said.

"I'm willing to bet you're right," Sora agreed.

We continued on like this for what felt like twenty minutes, finally making it to the sea witch's lair. When we got there, we found Ursula hiding in a giant shell, slowly creeping out of it.

"Come out!" Donald called out. "You can't run!"

"Your time has come!" Sebastian added.

Ursula slid out of the shell, right in front of her cauldron, and growled. This scared both Donald and Sebastian.

We knew the fight had begun when the sea witch began throwing bottles into the cauldron and her eel sidekicks began to attack us.

One of them slithered up to me, and slapped me with its tail.

"OW!" I cried out. I looked at it, and swung at it with my Keyblade. It went flying (more like floating) away from me, giving me time to swim out of the way of a spinning Ursula and a fireball shooting out of the cauldron.

Sora wasn't so lucky. "How are we going to defeat her?"

"Well," I said as I was batting away one of the eels. "King Triton said to use magic on the cauldron."

"Okay. But which spell?"

"I don't know. Try Blizzard."

Sora blocked a spin attack from Ursula, and then aimed the Kingdom Key at the cauldron.

"Blizzard!" he shouted.

Nothing happened.

"Okay, then," I said. "I'll try Fira."

I turned and faced the cauldron, and, in much of the same fashion as Sora, called out "Fira!"

As the spell hit the cauldron, a fireball shout of it and hit the sea witch.

"Alright! Now were getting results!" I exclaimed. "Sora, cover me, okay?"

Sora nodded and began to bat away the eel I had been fighting earlier. I continued to cast Fira, and found out that the more I did, the more fireballs that burst out of the cauldron and hit Ursula.

It didn't take long for her to pass out.

"Guys! Now's our chance!" I called out.

Without hesitation, we swam over to the sea witch and began to give her a good beating. Unfortunately, she didn't stay out for long, so we each gave her one more good hit and swam away from her, for fear of her spinning attack.

I threw an Ether up for both myself and Donald, and everyone continued to fight how we were earlier: Donald helped me attack the cauldron, and Goofy took care of one eel while Sora took care of the other.  
>When Ursula passed out again, we took the team effort to attack her together. She came to, and we got out her way.<p>

We began the cycle again, only this time, one of the eels decided that it would be fun to attack me. I batted it away as much as I could, trying to get a clear shot on the cauldron. No matter how many times I did this, the eel kept attacking me. It got really annoying when its twin came to help it. Sora and Goofy came to help, but it was too much for me to take. From across the room, I could see Ursula smiling.

_What is she smirking at? _I wondered.

"Enough!" I practically screamed.

As I said this, I saw light rush out from me and hit the eels, causing them to be blasted away from me. Sora and Goofy were caught in the crossfire, but thankfully it wasn't too bad. The eels recovered from the surge, and began to slither towards me. I raised my Keyblade towards them, and a ball of light shot out of the end of it, hitting the eels and causing them to disintegrate.

"Whoa," I heard Sora say.

I was relieved that they were gone, but Ursula didn't seem to share my enthusiasm. She was glaring at me.

"You little Princess!" she called out. "You'll pay for this! You'll all pay for this!"

"Princess?" everyone, including me, asked. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

But I had no time to think about it. Ursula raised her hand and before I knew it, there was a cloud of black smoke surrounding me. I struggled against it, trying to get out, but some unknown force kept holding me down.

The last thing I heard was Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy calling out to me, and Ursula's bone chilling laughter.

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><p>AN: :O Told you there was a twist. Tune in next chapter to find out what happens. And keep tabs on my deviantART account, too. Reviews? Anyone?


	18. This is Halloween

Author's Note: Another chapter for you guys. Just about eight more chapters to go guys before this story is finished! I can't believe I've gotten this far! And it's all because of you guys, so thank you!

This chapter was fun for me to write just because I LOVE _The Nightmare Before Christmas_. It was my first Tim Burton movie. Thank you, Tim Burton for being a genius and creating such an amazing stop-motion animated movie. One of the reason's he's my all-time favorite director. But anyway, if you haven't been to my deviantART account yet, check it out because then you can see what Pyn's outfit looks like in Halloween Town. I'm quite proud of it.

Those of you who have been reading _Kingdom Hearts: The Next Generation_, I'm still working on that next chapter, so please bear with me for a little longer. I'm actually having a hard time writing that one believe it or not. But it should be up within the next few days!

Okay, enough of my rambling! Enjoy the chapter guys!

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><p><strong>Chapter Seventeen: This is Halloween<strong>

I struggled as hard as I could, not allowing the darkness to take me. I could feel my legs moving, so I knew that I was no longer in a mermaid form.

_Ursula's sending me somewhere_, I thought. _And it's probably not where I want to be_.

I struggled even more, thinking of places I would rather be than wherever the sea witch was sending me. The more I struggled though, the weaker I became.

_I'm not giving in_, I kept thinking. _I'm not giving in_.

Within an instant, there was a bright light, and I found myself lying in a small square. I sat up and noticed that it was nighttime. In the square, there was a small fountain full of green water, small shops and homes, a town hall building, and a guillotine.

_A guillotine?_I wondered.

I got up rather quickly, and walked around the square. I noticed that some of the buildings had a Gothic look to them, many of them having pumpkin and spider web shaped windows and decorations. Everywhere I looked, something seemed to be dead.

"Where am I?" I wondered out loud.

I looked into the water of the fountain, and saw my reflection. It had definitely changed. I was now wearing a patchwork witch's hat with a jack-o-lantern face on it. I had fangs, a pair of purple and black wings, and I had a totally different outfit on. I was wearing a dark red over shirt, a purple long sleeved shirt with a gray 'X' going across the belly, a dark blue skirt with an orange and gray flap covering the front and back, red ribbons wrapped around my lower legs, and black and orange shoes with little purple wings on them.

_I guess Donald's magic still has an effect on me_, I thought.

Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound. I turned just in time to see a large, iron wrought gate opening up, and someone enter. I hid behind the fountain, hoping they didn't see me.

"Now that I have all of the ingredients, the experiment should work," I heard someone say. Realizing that it was whoever just came in, I peeked over the edge of the fountain to get a good look at them. As soon as I looked up, I quickly looked back down.

_It's a skeleton!_ I thought. _And it's really tall!_

Figuring I should get out of here, I planned my escape. The gate hadn't shut, so I waited until the skeleton passed me, and made a break for it. As I did, the gate began to close. When I got to it, the gate was at my height, so I Dodge Rolled under it. Then I kept running.

I didn't stop running until I bumped into something...or someone.

"OW!" that someone squawked. "Watch where you're going!"

I rubbed my head and bum as I got up. "I'm really sorry—Donald?"

Sure enough, the squawking mummy in front of me was in fact Donald. "Pyn?" he asked.

"Donald!" I exclaimed. I looked past him and saw a Goofy version of Frankenstein's monster, and noticed that Sora now had a pair of fangs, a pair of wings, and a pumpkin mask covering half of his face. His clothes had changed, too. They were dark—mainly blacks and grays, and he had red ribbons tied around his pants legs.

"Goofy! Sora!"

"Pyn!" they both exclaimed.

"We thought we lost you," Sora said. "How is it that you're even here?"

"Beats me," I said. "But I doubt this is where Ursula wanted to send me. Too creepy for her."

"I thought she was already creepy," Donald grumbled.

"Different kind of creepy. Where are we anyway?"

"Halloween Town," Goofy said.

"It was the next world on our list," Sora said.

"Oh," I said. "Well, you guys sure did get here fast, didn't you?"

"After what happened to ya," Goofy began. "Everyone was angry. So we went after Ursula, and defeated her."

"And the Keyhole?"

"Taken care of," Sora said, smiling.

"Good."

"This sure is a spooky place," Goofy said. "I'll bet the people here are scary-lookin', too."

"I'm willing to bet you're right," I agreed, especially after seeing the skeleton man.

"Don't worry," Donald said. "We look scary, too. If they scare us, we'll scare them right back!"

"Ya think so?"

_I hope so_, I thought.

"Let's go look around," Sora suggested.

Donald, Goofy, and I followed right behind Sora as he led us to the square.

As we entered the square, we saw some Search Ghosts. We quickly summoned our weapons, getting ready to fight. But they never seemed to notice us, which was odd.

"How come they're not attacking us?" Goofy asked.

"Not sure," I said. "But never look a gift horse in the mouth."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and we began to sneak past them.

We were almost to the other side of the square when we heard an announcement go off.

"And now, allow me to introduce the Master of Terror," a small man with a megaphone called out. "The King of Nightmares—Jack Skellington!"

In a flash, the tall skeleton man rose out of the square fountain, striking a terrifying pose. The Search Ghosts had formed two lines to help introduce the King of Nightmares.

"So, he can control the Heartless?" Sora asked.

"I don't think so," I said. "Or else he would have seen us and sent them after us."

"True, but how is he getting them to do that?"

"Shh! Maybe we'll find out if we listen."

"Bravo, Jack, bravo!" the small man exclaimed. "Those Heartless will be a big hit at this year's Halloween."

"Thank you, thank you!" Jack said. "But their movement still needs work. It's not scary enough. I want to strike bone-chilling terror."

_Really?_ I wondered. _I thought they were scary enough. Well, maybe he could..._

I shook myself out of my thoughts and continued to listen.

"I'm going to consult the Doctor!"

Jack started walking towards a door that had two pumpkin shaped lanterns next to it.

The small man took a glimpse of the town, and then said, "Then I'll attend to the decorations."

In the end, it was just the four of us left in the square.

"Well," Donald said. "Heh...we should turn back...nothing else to see here."

"Oh no, you don't," I said. "We have to figure out how he's controlling the Heartless. We've got to follow him."

We did just that. We walked through the door Jack had entered, ran up the stairs, and entered a steel door. This led us to a laboratory.

"I don't understand," we heard Jack say. "Maybe the guidance system was damaged in the explosion."

"Nonsense," said a man in a wheelchair. I assumed this was the doctor. "My devices are always perfect."

I took a good look around the room. There was a bookshelf to the left, a small desk with a variety of test tubes and assorted ingredients, and in the middle was a long table, two or three contraptions hanging above it. On the table was a Search Ghost.

"Oh, I've got it!" Jack exclaimed. "Why of course! The Heartless need a heart. Doctor, do you think that we can add a heart to that device?"

"Certainly," the doctor replied. "A heart's not all that complicated. Let's get to work."

"To make a heart, first take a container with a lock."

The doctor took a heart shaped container and put it on the table where the Heartless was laying. I was surprised it didn't attack the poor man.

"We need the key to this thing first," he said.

Sure enough, on the container was a lock.

I started to walk up to them, Keyblade in hand.

"No, Pyn," Sora said. "Let me do it."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"You're really gonna unlock it for them?" Donald asked.

"Why not?" Sora inquired. "If they succeed, we won't have to fight the Heartless, right? Besides, I want to see the Heartless dance, too. Don't you?"

"Not really."

"Aw, come on, Donald," I said. "It'll be exciting."

"Excuse me," Sora said, getting Jack's attention.

Jack turned around, facing us with what looked like extreme curiosity.

"I could unlock it for you."

"Would do?" Jack asked. "That would be fantastic!"

Sora summoned the Kingdom Key and pointed it at the heart container to unlock it. Donald, Goofy, and I didn't see a beam of light come out of the Keyblade, however.

_Did it work?_I wondered.

Jack seemed to think so.

"My, that was amazing! And you are?" he asked.

"Sora."

"Well done, Sora. I'd like you to be a part in this year's Halloween." Upon looking at us, he added, "Your friends as well."

"What's this Heartless doing here?" I asked.

"Oh, the Heartless came to town just recently, Miss...?"

"Pyn. Just Pyn, though. You don't need to add the 'Miss'."

"Well, Pyn, Sora, what's frustrating is I can't seem to get them to dance with me! So the Doctor and I are trying to improve the guidance system. He's quite a genius!"

_Sure seems like it_, I thought. _Maybe that_ will _help us_.

"Okay, Doctor. Let's continue. The ingredients for a heart: Pulse, emotion."

"Terror," the Doctor said.

"Fear, hope, and despair. Mix them all together and we have a heart."

All of the ingredients were put on the table next to the Search Ghost. The Doctor wheeled his chair over to a switch, and pulled it. Electricity shot out of probes attached to the ceiling that were connected to the machine, and struck the Search Ghost. It rose up for a moment, bent its head down, and then laid back down on the table with a quick thud.

"It failed!" the Doctor exclaimed. Jack looked glum. "Maybe we're missing some ingredients," the Doctor added thoughtfully. Let's try adding memory."

The Doctor opened his head and rubbed his brain. At first, I thought that it was gross, but got over it really quickly.

_Guess I've seen everything now_, I thought.

"Sally," the Doctor called out, looking around him. "Sally!"

No one came.

"Good-for-nothing girl! Don't know why I bothered creating her." He turned to face Jack and the rest of us, closing the lid to his head. "Sally's got the memory we need. See if you can track her down."

"No problem," Jack said. He turned to our little group. "Sora, Pyn, would you like to come along?"

"Sure," we both said.

I took a glimpse behind me. Donald was shaking his head and Goofy was rubbing his pumpkin nose.

"Alright. Let's go!"

We followed Jack out of the lab. We were walking down the stairs when the small man from the square came running into the area.

"Jack!" he was shouting. "Jack! We have a major crisis! The Heartless are completely out of control! We can't stop them!"

"Mmmm...maybe our experiment triggered something," Jack thought out loud. "Everything will be fine, Mayor. You have nothing to worry about."

I walked over to the door leading to the square, opened it, and took a peak. "Yep," I confirmed. I turned to the others. "We've got our work cut out for us."

"Let's got then," Sora said, nodding.

I opened the door wide, summoned my Keyblade, and ran out to face the Heartless. Sora, Jack, and the others ran out right after me.

There were several Shadows and Search Ghosts. The Shadows I knew would be easy, and the Search Ghosts needed at least two people to fight those. But there was another Heartless here that I wasn't entirely sure how to fight.

"Wight Knights," I said.

"How do you know that?" Sora asked me as he was fighting a couple of Shadows.

"Jiminy and I have been reading Ansem's reports," I answered, helping Goofy bat away a Search Ghost. "You probably should look into reading those sometime in the future."

Sora cast Fira and the circle of Shadows around him disappeared. "Yeah. I should."

I finished helping Goofy with the Search Ghost, and then focused on fight off one of the Wight Knights, who saw fit to begin attacking using its arms. I blocked the attack, and quickly swung my Keyblade at it. I quickly found out that Wight Knights really weren't that hard to fight. I had gotten rid of several by the time Sora and Donald had finished their third Search Ghost. Jack was fighting off the rest of the Wight Knights and three Shadows.

"How did you beat all of those Heartless?" Donald asked as he was preparing a Thundara.

I just shrugged. "They weren't that hard honestly."

With Goofy and Jack's help, we cleaned up the square of the Heartless. Soon, they were gone.

"Well, that's that," Sora said.

"We did pretty good!" I exclaimed. "Back to the task on hand though." I turned to Jack, and then asked. "Do you know where Sally would go, Jack?"

He looked thoughtful. Then he nodded, and said, "Oh. She would be at the Graveyard."

"Then to the Graveyard!" Sora exclaimed. He seemed pretty excited.

With Jack in the lead, we headed for the Graveyard with weapons drawn. We never knew when the Heartless would appear, and we wanted to be prepared.

_I hope that this invention works_, I thought. Somewhere, deep down, I knew it wasn't, but I couldn't help but remain hopeful.

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><p>AN: So, I must admit that I have not come up with an official name for Pyn's Keyblade. I have one in mind, but I need a second opinion. Also, if you guys have any suggestions, feel free to leave it in a review or PM me. The one I have in mind is Destiny's Union. Yes, I know that's actually the name of one of the songs on the BBS-358/2 Days-Re:coded soundtrack, but I felt it kinda fit. But again, I need a second opinion. Please?


	19. Spooks of Halloween Town

Author's Note: WOW! I am so, so, so sorry that it took THIS long to get this chapter out. I don't want to say that I don't have an excuse, because I do. But I swear I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I didn't walk through a wardrobe and end up in Narnia. I promise that is not what happened. I had a VERY incompetent teacher that I had to deal with the past five weeks, so it was homework overload. Also, with it being summer now, I'm in charge of babysitting and work has become demanding. Good news is I got a promotion out of it.

Anyway, any who, anyhow….

Four weeks and four days until the North American release date for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. I'm pretty stoked! Anyone else as excited as me? For those of you who didn't know or if you haven't heard, there is a free demo that is downloadable from the Nintendo eShop on the 3DS. That's right, it's FREE! So those of you who have 3DS, you should get it, like, right now. I have the demo, and I swear I was sitting there for HOURS playing it over and over again. The bonus to the demo is that you get 30 uses for it, and as long as you don't close the software, you can use that use for as long as you want! I am planning on giving a review of the demo as an Author's Note at the end of the chapter, so head's up for those of you who hate spoilers.

Okay, I believe I am done rambling. OH! I plan on putting up more pictures of Pyn in Halloween Town on my deviantART account, so be looking for those. I will get them in as soon as possible. We're coming close to the end of _Re: Kingdom Hearts_. We've only got a few more worlds to go until we're at the end. I do plan on doing one for _CoM_, but one thing at a time.

Okay, I'm done now. Enjoy this long chapter, and the review of the 3DS demo!

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><p><strong>Chapter Eighteen: Spooks of Halloween Town<strong>

Once we had checked the entire square, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Jack, and I ran through the gates of the graveyard and down the stairs.

"Let's check this place, too, once all of the Heartless are gone," Sora said.

"Yeah," I agreed.

There were a few Wight Knights and Search Ghosts, but nothing we couldn't handle. When all of the Heartless were taken care of, Jack looked around the graveyard and then tapped on his knee. When he did this, a small ghost dog with a jack-o-lantern nose rose out of a dog house grave marked "Zero."

_Aw_, I thought. _He's so cute_.

"Zero!" Jack exclaimed. "Have you seen Sally anywhere?"

To answer his question, Zero barked and flew behind one of the taller tombstones. As small gasp escaped, and a woman walked out from behind it. She had long red hair, wore a patchwork dress, and looked as if she was made up of different parts and sewn together.

"Is something wrong, Jack?" Sally had asked.

"No," he said. "Everything is going great. We're going to have the best Halloween ever. All we need now is your memory."

"'Memory'? You mean this?" Sally lifted up withered Forget-Me-Not and handed it to Jack. He seemed very eager to take the flower from her.

She looked very worried. "Jack, I have a bad feeling about this. Why don't you try something else? There's still time."

"Nothing could beat what I've got planned. Once we give the Heartless a heart, they'll dance just as I envisioned. You're going to love it!"

Sally sighed.

_She seems really worried about something_, I thought. _Is what Jack's doing really something to get worked up about?_

But I could see her point. A bunch of Heartless roaming around dancing in the town square was probably not her idea of a good Halloween.

Jack, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had turned and headed towards the exit, with Sally and I right on their heels.

_Now the more I think about it, what if Sally's right?_

xxx

"Here you go, Doctor!" Jack exclaimed as we entered the lab. Sally made herself comfortable in a corner of the room.

The Doctor turned to face us. "Yes. This is it." He took the Forget-Me-Not from Jack and added it to the pile of ingredients. "Now, just one more ingredient. We need 'surprise' to complete the heart. The mayor should know where it is."

"Where does he usually hang around?" I asked.

"Oh, the Mayor doesn't hang!" Jack said. "That's the skeletons' job. They hang on Hangman's Tree."

I looked at Sora and the others and then back at Jack. I was confused, but then it hit me like a Large Body using its huge belly as a battery ram. "Oh, no. I meant where are some of the places he likes to go?"

"Oh, of course!" Jack said. "Now I see what you're saying. There's a tombstone in next to the Hill that leads to another cemetery. That's where we can usually find the Mayor when he's not in town."

Sora nodded. "Then we should try there first."

"Hopefully we're lucky and he'll be there," Donald said.

We hurried out of the lab and back to the square, where several Heartless were waiting for us. We quickly cleared them out and headed out to find the Mayor.

xxx

It didn't take long to find the Mayor's hiding spot, and we were able to get the "surprise" that Doctor Finkelstein was talking about, which turned out to just be a jack-in-the-box.

On the way back to the lab, I couldn't help but feel that we were being watched.

_Maybe it's just all of the Halloween decorations_, I thought. _Yeah, that's it_.

"Did you find it?" the Doctor asked as we entered the lab.

"Sure did," I said as I handed him the jack-in-the-box.

"Yes, this is it," he said as he observed the children's toy.

He placed the jack-in-the-box next to the other ingredients. Now that he had all the ingredients together, he grabbed the heart and began to roll himself over to the machine.

"There you go. This time it's sure to work."

As he rolled over to the machine, his wheelchair toppled over, and the heart went flying in the air. Someone had tripped the Doctor. I noticed that what tripped him was none other than a small kid wearing a skeleton costume with a skull mask. He ran to join two others, a kid in a devil costume and another in a witch costume, each wearing a coordinating mask.

I ran over to try and catch the heart, but I couldn't reach it. The devil kid caught it and the three ran off.

"Okay," I said. "That was random."

"It's Lock, Shock, and Barrel!" Jack exclaimed. "There must be a reason for them stealing the heart. And I have a feeling I know who's behind it."

"Well," Sora said. "Then we'd better get it back from them."

"After them!"

The five of us ran out of the lab, but by the time we got out the door, the mischievous trio was gone.

"Aw, we lost them," Sora said.

Jack looked around, and tapped on his knee. Within seconds, Zero appeared and flew up to Jack.

"Zero, after them, quick!"

Zero flew in the direction of the graveyard. We followed him past the graveyard, the Curly Hill, and then past a bridge. As we travelled through the different areas of Halloween Town, we encountered several groups of Heartless, dispatching them as we went.

We ran through the gate at the end of the bridge. On the other side, there was a strange, yet scary looking building in front of us. It seemed to have been made in a small ravine, with a small river flowing a few yards from the building.

Jack was the first of us to speak. "I knew Oogie Boogie was behind this!"

I looked at him, curiosity creeping across my face. "Oogie Boogie?"

"He's always causing trouble in the Town, and he usually recruits Lock, Shock, and Barrel to do his dirty work."

"Well, I suppose we'll just have to follow those three and get them to talk."

Lock, Shock, and Barrel were already halfway up the sinister-looking tree house when we started our ascent. Climbing up the tree house took a lot longer than we thought. There were Heartless at every turn, so we had to fight our way through them. But after climbing several staircases and using cages as elevators, we eventually caught up to those tricksters. At the very top of the tree house was a small hut. There was a sign above the door that read "Evil Playroom".

"Named it right, didn't they?" Goofy asked.

"You got that right," Sora and I said in unison.

"Time to see what they're up to," Donald said.

"Right," Jack agreed. With that, he walked through the door, with the four of us following.

Just as we entered the hut, Lock had thrown the heart into a chute, most likely sending it to Oogie Boogie. They turned around, seemingly surprised to see us.

And that's when they decided to attack us. Lock started to hop around, charging at us with his horns. Shock used a spin attack, and Barrel was using his mask as a boomerang.

"What the—?" I wondered.

Sora, Jack, and the others started to fight the trio back. I looked on as they did, wondering if I should join in.

_But this isn't going to solve anything_, I thought. _What should I do?_

Then it hit me. I took a deep breath, and then, as loud as I could, I shouted, "ENOUGH!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at me. Sora was mid-swing; Goofy was ducking behind his shield as Barrel had thrown his mask at him; Donald was trying to get Lock off of his back; and Jack was holding on to Shock, who was encased in ice from the neck down.

I pointed at Lock, Shock, and Barrel. "You three, stop it, right now!"

Lock began to argue. "But—"

I shook my head. "No buts. Stop fighting them, now!"

Everyone put their weapons away. The ice surrounding Shock had melted away, so she jumped down and ran to where her friends were standing. The tricksters sat in a corner while Jack, Sora, and the others stood right behind me.

"That's more like it," I said. "Now, there was no point in fighting like that was there?"

The young trio looked up at me, looked back down at the ground, and then shook their heads.

"What do you have to say for yourselves? What was the point of all of this?" I asked them.

They hesitated. Seeing this, I added. "I promise we won't get mad. Just tell us. Nothing will happen to you. I promise."

"We were just following orders," Shock said. "Oogie Boogie told us to steal the heart. It's all Barrel's fault! It was his idea to tell Oogie Boogie about the heart."

"Yeah, that's right!" Lock agreed.

Barrel disagreed. "B-but you guys said—"

"You should be ashamed!" Shock exclaimed.

I sighed and shook my head.

"Well, now what?" Donald asked.

"We find Oogie Boogie," I said.

"But where is he?" Sora asked. He turned towards Jack. "Do you know where he could be?"

Jack shook his skull. "No idea."

I looked to Lock, Shock, and Barrel. "Do you know how to get to Oogie Boogie's?"

"Yeah, we know how to get there," Lock said.

"Through the chute!" Barrel said. Lock and Barrel laughed.

_Oh brother_, I thought.

"You really are stupid," Shock said. "The lever for the door! Honestly, I wish you guys weren't so dumb."

"I'm not the dumb one!" Barrel exclaimed.

"You're no fun!" Lock said.

"Shut up!" Shock yelled.

"Make me!"

"Ahem!" I coughed.

Lock and Shock looked at me. Lock pointed to a lever next to the chute. "That's for the door to the Torture Chamber, where Oogie Boogie hides."

"Sounds like the perfect place for him," Jack observed.

I walked over to the lever, observed it, and then pulled it down. Everyone heard a click.

"I guess it must've worked," Goofy said.

"Time to find out," Sora suggested.

We started to walk to the door when I stopped in my tracks. Sora noticed, and said, "What's the matter, Pyn?"

"Nothing," I said. "It's just…"

"What?"

"Why don't we have a race?"

"Really? At a time like this?"

"Why not?" I asked. "First one to find Oogie Boogie and the heart wins."

Sora smiled. "Alright. You're on!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Donald questioned.

"It's a splendid idea!" Jack exclaimed.

"Okay then," I said. "On your mark. Get set. GO!"

Sora was the first to head out of the door, followed by Donald, Goofy, and then Jack. I stayed behind to watch them go, with a smile on my face.

"Aren't you going?" Lock asked.

I turned to face him and his friends. "Oh, I am."

The trio looked at each other, and then at me.

"Make sure you three get back to the town. From what I've learned, guys like Oogie Boogie always have something up their sleeves. I don't want you to become collateral damage."

"Collateral damage?" Shock wondered.

"Sounds pretty bad," Barrel said.

"It is," I said.

"But now you're gonna lose the race," Lock observed.

"No, I'm not." I turned and nodded towards the chute. This caused the tricksters to smile and laugh.

I ran towards it and jumped in head first, but not before I heard Shock say, "I like her."

I slid down the chute. It was pretty tight, but thankfully there was still some room.

_I guess now I know how Santa Claus feels when he's going down a chimney_, I thought. As I exited the chute, I did a front flip so that I could land flat on my feet. When I recovered, I took a look around the room. It seemed to be made completely of brick, with a strange looking contraption hugging on one part of the wall. The area where I landed looked strange like a roulette board, and along the wall surrounding the roulette wheel where more contraption of the gambling kind.

_So, Oogie Boogie's a gambler, huh?_

My thoughts were interrupted by an evil laugh.

"Huh?" I looked around me, and then up. On one of the ledges, I saw a bag with arms, legs, and ghostly facial features. I was guessing that this was Oogie Boogie.

"Well, well, well," he said. "What have we here? A little Princess, huh?"

"Why is every bad guy I meet calling me that?"

Oogie Boogie laughed. "Well, I'll be jiggered. You're a fine specimen. Oooh, Maleficent is gonna love this."

"Maleficent?"

"That's right, doll face!" Oogie Boogie laughed, and began tossing a peculiar object up and down in his nubbed arm. I squinted to see what it was.

"Oh, the heart!" I exclaimed realizing what it was.

At that moment, Sora, Jack, and the others ran in.

"Aw," Sora said. "I thought I won."

"Oogie Boogie," Jack said in a stern voice. "Give me back the heart!"

"You want it?" Oogie Boogie asked. "Well, come on over and get it." With that, he shoved the heart into his mouth, and swallowed.

"WAK!" Donald squawked.

"Did he just swallow it whole?" I asked, disgusted and surprised by what just happened.

Oogie Boogie laughed again. _His laugh is starting to get annoying_, I thought.

"Now, let's see if I can get their attention," the talking bag said. "Oh, Heartless!"

Upon hearing his call, two Gargoyle Heartless appeared by his side.

Oogie Boogie didn't like this at all. "This is it?" he wondered, and then angrily, he added, "Nobody disrespects me! NOBODY!"

At that moment, everyone had drawn their weapons. Oogie Boogie jumped really high and landed with a THUD, causing everyone on the ledge to fall onto the roulette wheel. Then he rolled a pair of dice, which caused the wheel to spin very fast until it stopped right in front of a coin slot machine shaped into three gunslingers.

"This can't be good," I said.

"Dodge the bullets?" Sora asked.

"That's what I was thinking."

At that moment, the arms of the gunslingers dropped, the wheels in their bellies turning until they hit a death jackpot. The arms went up, and then aimed at us. Sora dodged the bullets, I blocked them, Jack jumped on top of their heads, Goofy blocked as wells, and Donald…well, lost a few feathers and bandages.

"OW!" he squawked.

"Cure!" I shouted.

Donald's feathers started to grow back. "Thanks!"

Oogie Boogie rolled the dice again. This time, a round saw started to come right at us. We ducked out of the way, and the saw took off the arms of the gun slinging slot machine.

"Alright!" I said. "That worked to our advantage."

"Sure did," Jack agreed.

The five of us jolted a little. The roulette wheel was rising up, and it seemed to be much to Oogie Boogie's displeasure. When we were level enough with the ledge, we jumped off of the wheel and began to attack the Boogie man himself.

He wasn't really that hard to fight. I found out quickly that he liked to try and hit with his nubby little arms, and he wasn't a clean fighter. He would always resort to his dice. When did about four rounds of this, until it was decided that enough was enough. Oogie Boogie rolled his dice once more, the roll summoning an arm with three rotating knives. He did another high jump for a fifth time, sending everyone flying off of the ledge once more. Only this time, in the midst of everything, Oogie Boogie took a hold of me and jumped onto the arm of the rotating knives.

"AH!" I screamed.

"Pyn!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy cried out in unison.

"So long, Jack," Oogie Boogie said as he laughed. "And his lackeys. I got a date with destiny!"

I struggled against Oogie Boogie's surprisingly strong grip. It was then that I noticed something that, unless you squinted to the point of your eyes being almost closed, couldn't be seen by the human eye from a distance. There was a small piece of string dangling from Oogie Boogie's arm.

_That's it!_ I thought. _I can use that to get out of here, and defeat Oogie Boogie!_

So I put my plan into action. I elbowed the old bag in the gut, which caused him to let go of me. I balanced on the arm and grabbed a hold of the string. It came loose immediately, and I continued to pull it until there was enough that I could use to swing down and join the others, and stop the knives from harming anyone. I did such in a swift movement that I barely noticed that I did it. When I joined the others, I saw that the only thing left of Oogie Boogie was a bunch of bugs that kept his shape. I cast Fira on the arm, causing it to throw Oogie Boogie's form back onto the platform.

The bugs that were once confined began to disperse, leaving behind the one item we had come for.

The heart was now back in our possession.

"So, the heart was a failure after all," Jack observed.

xxx

"You okay?" Sora asked me.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You sure were brave, Pyn," Goofy said.

"Knew ya could do it!" Donald exclaimed.

The five of us were walking across the bridge of the tree house, heading back for Doctor Finklenstein's lab to return the heart. But it seemed that our battle was not over.

The earth began to rumble. I turned around in time to see the tree house crumbling to the ground. In its place, a gigantic Oogie Boogie was standing in its place. Parts of the old tree house were attached to him, had become a part of him. Those weren't the only things that had taken a hold of him, it seemed.

"Whoa, how did he get so big?" Sora asked.

"Look!" I pointed out. "There are black orbs covering several spots on him."

"It's brimming with the power of darkness," Jack said. "Oogie Boogie must be drawing power from those orbs."

"So, we just have to get rid of those, right?" Sora asked.

"Yep," I said. "And there appears to be…one, two…six of them. They're pretty spread out."

"Spilt up every one?" Sora suggested.

"Sounds like a good idea," Goofy said.

With that, everyone leaped off of the ledge where the wooden bridge used to be and went after an orb. Donald and Goofy headed for the right leg, Jack headed for Oogie Boogie's backside, and Sora and I headed for the left leg. Sora and I climbed up his leg using roots that were growing out of it. We jumped as high as we could to grab onto a ledge and pull ourselves up. This led us to one of the black orbs, which was located near Oogie Boogie's armpit area.

"You know," I said as we made our way to it. "If we weren't in the middle of something, I'd say that is pretty gross."

"Yeah," Sora said. "I'll take this one if you want to go find another one."

I nodded. "Okay, but watch yourself."

"I will, I will."

"No really! There are some Gargoyle Heartless on your six!"

"Huh?"

Sora turned around just in time to see a Gargoyle starting to spit blue-purple fire at him. Luckily he was able to block it in time before he was hit by it.

"Okay," he said. "I got these guys handled! Go find another orb."

"Okay."

I ran as fast as I could while being carefully of falling off of the platform. I followed it until I came to another one, and jumped onto to that one. I found another black orb, along with two Gargoyles, in front of the Evil Playroom, and started to attack it, along with the Heartless.

_I hope that Lock, Shock, and Barrel got out okay_, I wondered. Even if they are little trouble makers, I was still worried about them.

It didn't take that long to get rid of all three enemies (I did count the orb as an enemy). When the orb was gone, I felt the platform start to rumble. This caused me to fall off of the platform, plummeting toward the ground. When I saw the ground getting closer, I quickly flipped and cast Fira. This quickly slowed me down enough that I wouldn't go _splat_ on the ground. As I landed with a soft thud, I ran to the front of Oogie Boogie, joining Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack. Everyone looked well.

"Did we get them all?" I asked.

"You and I got one each," Sora said.

"Donald and I got two," Goofy added.

"And I got another one," Jack said. "That makes five."

"That means that there is one more left," I observed. "Where's the other one?"

"Is that one right there?" Sora asked.

Everyone looked to where Sora was pointing. Sure enough, there was a black orb enclosed by what looked like a doorway.

"Anyone think they can reach it in time? I don't think any of our spells will be able to reach that far."

"Na-uh," Donald said.

I looked at everyone as they tried to figure out who was going to be in charge of that orb. Then something crossed my mind.

"Hey, mind if I try something?" I asked.

No one objected, so I walked over to where I could get a good look at the orb. When I was in a good spot, I looked over my shoulder and called out, "Cover me, okay?"

"We've got your back, Pyn," Sora called back.

I smiled, and looked back over toward my target. I summoned my Keyblade and pointed it at the orb. I summoned all the energy I could, remembering how I was feeling when grabbing the crystal trident before it sank all the way to the bottom or when I was being attacked by Flotsam and Jetsam back in Atlantica. I closed my eyes, remembering those feelings, and took a deep breath. As I did, I opened my eyes and swing the Keyblade in the direction of the orb. I wave of light surged toward it, causing an explosion and destroying the last black orb.

I smiled at my triumph, and turned towards my friends. They were awestruck. As I walked back towards them, giant Oogie Boogie began to collapse. When I got to Sora and the others, I asked, "What?"

"Where'd you learn to do that?" he asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know."

I turned around to face what was left of Oogie Boogie, expecting a pile of destruction behind him. Instead, I was surprised to see the one thing we were looking for the entire time.

"The Keyhole," I breathed.

"A-hyuck!" Goofy exclaimed. "We found it!"

"Hooray!" Donald squawked.

"Better close it before anything bad happens," I suggested.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "You wanna do the honors?"

I nodded. "Sure."

I walked up to the giant Keyhole on the ground. I raised my Keyblade up to the moon, and the Keyblade did the rest of the work. A beam of light shot out of the tip of it and hit the moon, cause shards to fall from the moon and hit the Keyhole. This must have been sufficient enough, because we heard a click and the Keyhole disappeared.

I smiled, knowing that we did alright and that everything in this world was going back to the way it should be. I tightly gripped my Keyblade, and was startled to feel something on the grip of the hilt. I held it up to where I could get a good look at the grip. Sure enough, there was something engraved.

_That's strange_, I thought. _How come I didn't notice that before?_

Engraved on the grip of the hilt on my Keyblade, it read "Destiny's Union."

* * *

><p>AN: Now we know the name of Pyn's Keyblade. Whoohoo! Anyway, hope this chapter was worth the wait! But like I promised, it's review time!

In the main menu of the demo, you have the option of going through the tutorial or starting right away. The tutorial goes over the basic controls, with the added bonus of showing you all about Flowmotion and Reality Shift. When you actually start the demo, you are shown a brief cutscene of Sora's arrival in Traverse Town and meeting Neku, the protagonist of The World Ends With You. After the cutscence, you start in what is known as the Fourth District. This is an area of Traverse Town we've never experienced! You are given three Spirit Dream Eaters at the beginning. I don't know the name of them of the top of my head, but there's a cat, a panda, and a dog that ironically called Meow Wow. You can switch these characters out as you go through the demo. You can either walk around like you would do on any of the past KH games, or you have the option of using Flowmotion to get around. I found Flowmotion to be really useful-it helps you get to those high to reach places a lot easier and helps you get around A LOT FASTER. In some of the areas you do come into contact with the Nightmare Dream Eaters, and using Flowmotion-based attacks on these enemies is really helpful and fun. I definitely have to say that being able to use the environment around you is a nice addition. Reality Shift is pretty helpful, too. When you've done enough damage on an enemy, you can Reality Shift and slingshot it into another area or more Nightmares to cause damage.

I didn't think that fighting with the Spirits was all that bad. They have icons that help to distinguish that they are allies and not the Nightmares, which is really helpful considering they reappear and disappear just like the Nightmares. I will admit that I was pretty bummed out that Donald and Goofy wouldn't be aiding us, but it is kind of a nice change of pace.

If you pay attention to the touch screen, you'll notice that a pink marker pops up on the screen. If you're right next to it, a blue box with a yellow name will pop up. This is a Link Portal, and it's a unique way of getting prizes. Also, if you notice on the bottom screen, this is our map, and it is very detailed. You can also see the icons of your Dream Eaters. This allows you the option of changing who you want in your party.

On the top screen, around the picture of the Dream Eaters, there is the usually HP bar, but the pink bar is their Link Gauge. When this is completely filled up, this allows you to Link up with your Spirits. I waited until I got both gauges up for both Spirits. This becomes a Double Link attack, and is pretty powerful.

The Command panel: you are actually given some pretty powerful attacks in this demo. Attacks that we know were aren't going to get until later in the game. But I noticed that there was a new spell: Ballonra. I didn't think this was a really strong attack, but it does seem to help out in a bind. But the fact that there are going to be new spells is a plus.

The boss battle I thought was actually pretty easy. You are going up against a Nightmare called Hockomonkey. It's basically a giant monkey (more like a baboon) in the shape of a Jack-in-the-Box. I found that using a Double Link in the middle of the battle (or when the monkey has at leas 50% health left) was pretty helpful. And the attacks like Ice Breaker (I believe that's what it's called), Prism Windmill, and Sparkga were pretty good at deal a good amount of damage. When you defeat the Hockomonkey, there is a small cutscene of Meow Wow going through the different districts, with a message on the bottom screen saying "Thank you for playing." And the cutscene changes for the most part every time you play. But overall, this looks like it's going to be an amazing game, and I hope you guys are going to enjoy it, because I know I am! July 31st couldn't get here any SLOWER!

But be looking out for another chapter. Not sure when it will be posted, but keep a sharp eye!


	20. Captain Hook's Pirate Ship

Author's Note: Well, looks likse I was able to get another chapter up and ready for you guys a lot quicker than last time. Whoohoo for you guys!

So this chapter is shorter than the last one, but that's what happens when you start hitting the worlds where not as much happens. Neverland being one of those. Which leads me to announce that we only have…about six chapters left until _Re: Kingdom Hearts_ is complete. After Neverland, the chapters are probably going to be longer because more things happen. Again, I do plan on making one called _Re: Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories_ and it will be based off of the GBA installment and NOT the remake PS2 version of the game. I do know this much. But I don't want to give away too many of my plans, so that's as much of a heads up as you're going to get.

Anyway, here's the next chapter of _Re: Kingdom Hearts_. Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nineteen: Captain Hook's Pirate Ship<strong>

"Sally," Jack said. "Why didn't I listen to you?"

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Jack, and I returned to the lab with the heart safely in our grasp. We told the Doctor that it was a complete failure, and he didn't seem happy about that at all. Then again, Jack was pretty upset, too. He was really looking forward to having the Heartless dance for him.

"Don't feel bad, Jack. We'll come up with another plan for Halloween," Sally reassured him. "Next time, we'll do it together."

Jack sighed, and then turned to us. "I guess we have no choice. We'll have to cancel the Heartless Halloween Festival for now."

"Sorry about the festival, Jack," I said.

"Yeah," Sora agreed. "I'm sure it would have been something terrifying to watch. I was looking forward to it."

"Same here."

"Well, thank you for your help anyway," Jack said. "Visit us any time! Next year's Halloween will be the scariest ever!"

"Looking forward to it," I said.

"Emotion, memory…." Doctor Finkelstein mumbled. "We put in all the necessary ingredients. What else do you need to make a heart? What is a heart anyway? I can't figure it out."

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I laughed. We waved good bye to our new friends in Halloween Town, and headed out of the lab. Then we headed for the Gummi Ship.

xxx

"I gotta say," I began when we got back on the Gummi Ship. "I am glad to be in my own clothes for a change."

"Yeah," Sora agreed as he plopped onto one of the chairs. "Now Donald isn't too scary to look at!"

"WHAT?" Donald squawked. Everyone but Donald started to laugh.

"Let's just head for our next destination," Jiminy said. Everyone jumped.

"Jiminy!" I exclaimed. "Were you here this entire time?"

"Oh, gosh. No, I wasn't. I was with you guys the entire time you were in Halloween Town."

"Really?" Goofy asked. "Well, then, how come we never saw ya?"

"I was a ghost," Jiminy said. "I was in Sora's hood before we landed, but when we got to Halloween Town, I turned into a ghost. I was hiding underneath the cape Sora was wearing."

"That would explain why I always felt a cool breeze on my back," Sora said.

"Yeah. Sorry about that."

"It's nothing."

"Well, now that we've got that settled, let's get to our next stop," I suggested.

"Good idea," Donald said. Everyone got into their seats, and we took off.

xxx

It was a long trip. Everyone was pretty much bored, except Jiminy, who was scribbling in his Journal. Sora was so bored that he was actually reading Ansem's reports.

"Wow," he said. "This guy was obsessed with the Heartless."

"Yeah," I confirmed. "The darkness, the hearts of the worlds, everything."

"And the Princesses of Heart, too."

I sat up really quickly. "Did you say Princesses of Heart?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"I remember learning about the Princesses of Heart when I was younger, before I ended up on the islands. Ven and Terra knew about them, too. We were training together. For what, I don't remember, but our teacher, Master Eraqus, had taught us about the Princesses. He said they were important for some reason and that they had to be protected."

"Gawrsh," Goofy said. "You remembered all of that from Sora mentioning the Princesses?"

"Yeah. I mean, I've had dreams about some of the things he's taught us. The Princesses are one of them."

"Wonder what else you're gonna remember," Sora mumbled.

I shrugged.

"What did you mean by the Princesses had to be protected?" Jiminy asked.

"From the darkness," I said. "But I don't remember much other than that."

"Guess we'll try later," Sora said. "Maybe then you'll have remembered something else."

"Yeah."

Suddenly, the Gummi Ship lurched a little, causing most of us to stumble.

"What was that?" Sora asked.

Goofy looked out of the window. "Uh, a big ship is catching up to us."

The ship came into view. It wasn't just any ship.

"Quit gawking!" Donald squawked. "That's a pirate ship!"

"That's not just any pirate ship," I said. "That's the _Jolly Roger_, captained by none other than Captain Hook. We're in Neverland!"

"You've been here, too?" Sora asked.

I nodded. The Gummi Ship lurched some more. The _Jolly Roger_ was coming straight for us.

"It's going to ram us!" he exclaimed. "Hold on tight!"

I held on as tightly as I could. I felt as though I hit my head on something, and everything went black.

xxx

_I woke up in a panic. Everything around me was dark and made of stone. Behind me, there was a green fire in a full blaze. Inside, I could see a small ball of light floating there. I looked on with curiosity. But the sound of footsteps broke me from my fascination. When I turned to look, it was the mean green lady. She looked way too happy._

"_Well, I never thought those wretched Keyblade wielders would deliver a Princess of Heart to me. This makes things much easier for me," she said._

"_Wh-what do you mean?" I asked._

"_Why, you don't know? How intriguing!"_

"_Tell me!" I demanded._

"_Your heart, dear child, is full of light—not the slightest touch of darkness. There are six others, such as yourself, that, when brought together, grant the power to rule all worlds."_

_I gasped. "But that means…you must have learned that from someone. People from other worlds aren't supposed to know about that. Who told you?"_

"_Why, Master Xehanort, of course."_

"_Master…Xehanort?"_

xxx

I sat up quickly, waking up from what I believed to be the second worse dream that I've ever woken up from.

_How did I escape Maleficent?_ I wondered. _Who was Master Xehanort really? Why can't I remember?_

In a split second, that was the last thing I was worried about. I looked around and noticed that I was on a ship. I was on the _Jolly Roger_. It was just me, and no one else seemed to be around.

"Where are Sora, Donald, and Goofy?" I wondered out loud.

I got up from where I was laying and started to walk around, looking for any trace of my friends. I didn't find anything until I backed into something, or someone. I turned around quickly, and found Sora.

"Oh, there you are!" I exclaimed.

"You, too!" he said. "Have you seen Donald and Goofy?"

"No," I said, shaking my head. "But I'm sure we'll find them."

Sora nodded, and smiled, putting his hands behind his head. "Yeah, and I'm sure they're fine."

I giggled. He tended to be so calm in situations like this. I looked up at my friend. He was a spitting image of Ven. I'm sure if he had met him, Terra would think so, too. The woman with blue hair, too.

_Still can't seem to remember her name,_ I thought. My thoughts were broken by the sound of a familiar voice.

"I didn't think you'd come, Sora and Pyn." We turned around and saw Riku looking down at us from a deck higher than us. "Good to see you again," he added.

"Where are Donald and Goofy?" Sora asked.

"Are they that important to you? More important than old friends?"

_Old friends?_ I wondered. _What is he talking about?_

"Instead of worrying about them, you should be asking about her."

Riku stepped off to the side, revealing a girl who seemed to be in pretty bad shape. It wasn't just any girl, though. It was…

"Kairi!" Sora and I exclaimed in unison.

"That's right," Riku said. "While you two were off goofing around, I finally found her."

Sora and I ran to get to Kairi, but a certain pirate's hook block our path.

"Not so fast!" Captain Hook shouted. "No shenanigans aboard my vessel."

Suddenly we were surrounded by Hook, his first mate Mr. Smee, and a band of Pirate Heartless.

"Riku," Sora started. "Why are you siding with the Heartless?"

"The Heartless obey me now," Riku simply stated. "Now I have nothing to fear."

Now I was really irritated. I remembered how we defeated Jafar and Oogie Boogie. Their hearts were full of darkness. "You're stupid!" I told Riku. "Sooner or later they'll swallow your heart!"

"Not a chance. My heart's too strong."

"Riku!" Sora called out.

"I've picked up a few other tricks as well. Like this for instance."

Riku held up his hand, and in front of Sora appeared a solid form of his shadow.

"Ah!" I squealed, not expecting it to happen.

"You can go see your friends now."

Within seconds, a hatch opened up beneath us, and we fell into the hold of the ship.

xxx

"You don't say?" Goofy asked.

"Yeah, it was definitely Kairi," Sora said. "I've finally found her."

"Alright! Then let's go up and talk to her."

"Yeah!" I exclaimed.

"Sounds great!" Donald agreed. "Okay, but first…how about getting off!"

Sora and I looked at each other and laughed nervously. "Sorry," we said.

We got off of Donald and Goofy and looked around the make-shift brig. Sora and I came up to a door that had only one window you could look out of, and we fought each other for the right to see out of the window. I became startled when I heard someone cough.

"Ahem! How ya doin' there?" and familiar voice asked. "Looking for a way out?"

From behind a stack of barrels, a boy with red hair dressed up in green with a red feather in his cap floated into sight.

_Wait a minute_, I thought. "I know you," I said.

"You do?" the boy said.

"Who are you?" Goofy asked.

_I was about to say who he was_.

"I'm the answer to your prayers," the boy replied.

No one said anything. Donald began tapping his foot, as if he didn't believe the boy.

"Fine," the boy said. "Have it your way."

"You mean, you don't remember me?" I asked him.

"Hmmm, you do seem familiar."

"But you're stuck in here, too, aren't you?" Sora asked.

I glared at him. _Seriously, why do they keep changing the subject?_

"No, just waiting for someone."

"Who?"

As if to answer his question, a twinkling light came in, flying around our heads and towards the boy. You could hear bells in the midst of its wake. A small fairy, also dressed in green with blonde hair pulled up into a bun, appeared before the boy.

"Tinker Bell!" I exclaimed.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy gave me curious looks.

"Tink, what took you so long?" the boy asked.

A sound of bells emitted from the tiny form.

"Great job. So you found Wendy?"

More bells.

"Hold on. There was another girl there, too?"

Tinker Bell nodded, and continued with more bells sounding.

"Are you crazy? There's no way I'm gonna leave Wendy there!"

"Aha," Donald said. "She must be pretty jealous." Then he laughed.

This must have offended Tinker Bell, because she flew up to Donald and kicked him in his bill, sending his eyes rolling. The she flew out of the window of the door.

"Come on, Tink," the boy called after her. "Open the door, will ya?"

"Ahem," Sora coughed.

The boy turned around, and looked at the gang and me.

"Hmph, I'm Peter Pan!"

"Sora."

"Alright, were in this together, but only until we find Wendy."

"Okay," I said. "But, in all honesty, if I hadn't have been interrupted, I could've introduced you myself."

"Who was stopping you?" Peter asked.

I nudged a thumb at Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "Those three, Peter."

"Hmmm, well, I'm sure I've met you somewhere before." He was deep in thought, and I could tell because he folded his arms and closed his eyes. Sure enough, he quickly opened them back up and said, "Pyn? Is that really you?"

"In the flesh."

"Wow! You've grown up a little since the last time I saw you."

"Yeah, I know. But I don't plan on growing up anytime soon."

"That's good." Peter looked over his shoulder and called out, "Tink, you got that door open? There's an old friend who's here to see us!"

A small click and a series of bells answered his question. Tinker Bell then flew through the window again, and joined us. When she did, she flew around me, looked at me, and then at Peter Pan. Another series of bells emitted from her.

"Well, she's convinced," he said.

"Great! Let's get to work on getting out of here, finding Wendy, and finding Kairi," I said.

"Sounds like a plan," Sora said.

More bells from Tinker Bell.

"Tink says there are lots of enemies out there," Peter said. "We better be careful."

Sora, Donald, Goofy, and I summoned our weapons. "We can handle it," I said.

Peter nodded, and flew out the open door. The rest of ran out of the door, and began dispatching the first wave of Pirate Heartless. They were accompanied by Sora's shadow.

"It's taunting me!" I exclaimed as I cast Blizzara at it. It flew out of the way.

"Just use one of those light attacks that you used before," Donald suggested.

"I can't. I don't have enough energy for that. I'll save that for when we absolutely need it."

"Then jump, I guess," Sora said as he dodged an attack from a Pirate.

So I did exactly that. I jumped up to where I could reach the shadow enough to get it a couple of good smacks, which worked to my advantage. The attack wore it down, so I cast Fira, which caused it to burst into flames and disappear in a puff of black smoke. The rest of the area was clear of Heartless.

"Uh, clear," Goofy said.

"Let's keep going," I said.

We climbed up a ladder, and Peter flew through the hatch, taking us to another level of Hook's ship. Once we were done with the Heartless in that area, we continued to walk on to the next area. As we were doing so, Goofy stopped.

"So, how come you can fly?" he asked Peter Pan.

"Anyone can fly," Peter said. "Wanna try?"

Everyone stopped walking, eager to learn how to fly as well. Peter Pan whistled for Tinker Bell, who flew past us quickly.

"Aw, haven't you cooled off yet, Tink?"

Holding on to Tinker Bell's wings, Peter flew over us and sprinkled dust all over us.

"Just a little bit of pixie dust." When he was done, he let go of Tink, and said, "Now you can fly."

Donald decided to be the first to test this by flapping his arms like wings, and ended up falling flat on his stomach. Tink thought this was hilarious, and flew up next to him, holding her sides.

"Guess it's gonna take us a while for the effects to kick in," I observed.

We continued to walk to the next area, which appeared to be a kitchen. We were all silent for a while. It was starting to bug me. Thankfully, Peter broke the silence.

"So, how are your friends doing, Pyn?" he asked me.

"I'm not sure," I sadly said. "I haven't seen them in years. Wonder what happened to them."

"I'm sure they're okay. Terra was pretty strong. He even tricked that old codfish."

"That's what I heard. I bet they'll be jealous, though. Especially Ven."

Peter laughed. "He probably will be. Who knows?"

I laughed a little. Then everyone grew silent again, leaving me to wonder exactly how my friends were doing.

_Gosh. They're probably on their own adventures_, I thought. _Wonder if they remember me? I hope so._ Then I remembered the blue-haired woman. _Will I ever remember her name? If I ever do see her again, will she forgive me for forgetting? Or will she be mad. I mean, what kind of friend doesn't remember their friend's name?_

As we walked on, I held the Wayfinder, my good luck charm, tightly in my hand. I could feel a small tear dripping down my cheek.

* * *

><p>AN: I know, I ended on a sad note, and a cliffhanger. I blame myself because I didn't finish Halloween Town in the last chapter. Tha could be why the chapter seems short. Again, and some of you may agree with me, not much that you have to do in Neverland. On that note, I might end up combining two of the chapters that I had planned out, but then it will be longer. So, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter for the most part, and please don't forget to review. Reviews make me happy and more motivated to keep the chapters going. And please, NO FLAMES!


	21. Neverland Sky

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, guys. At least it wasn't as long as the last one. I got a request to show more of Sora and Pyn's brother-sister relationship and hopefully I got that established and out there.

Well, we have one week and three more days until KH3D is released in North America, Kingdom Hearts fans. I am hoping to get this story done just in time for the release, kinda as a celebration of KH's 10th anniversary. I can't believe it's been 10 years already since the first of the series came out! But I hope the last chapter of this story is out by then. If not, then, well…heh…that probably means that I'll be one of those people spending their entire day playing the game. Again, hoping this is done before the game comes out!

**Anyway…** enjoy the chapter! Again, sorry it took so long!

Disclaimer:(hadn't done one of these in a while) I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any Final Fantasy characters depicted herein. I only own Pyn. KH and FF are owned by SQUARE-ENIX and Disney.

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty: Neverland Sky<strong>

"What is it, Tink?" Peter Pan asked.

Tinker Bell answered him in a series of bells, pointing to an area above us.

Someone must have heard us, because they said, "Peter? Peter Pan?" It was obviously a girl's voice. She walked over to a part of the floor that was covered by netting.

Peter was the first to identify her. "Wendy!"

"Please, hurry!" Wendy pleaded, worry clouding her blue eyes. "The pirates are coming!"

"What? I'll be right up there! Just hold on!"

"Wendy?" Sora asked.

"Yes?"

"Is there…another girl with you?"

Wendy turned from us toward something directly in front of her, her blonde curls bobbing as she did. "Oh, why, yes. But she seems to be asleep. She hasn't budged an inch."

"Kairi!" Sora stuck his arm up, reaching for Kairi.

Wendy got up from her spot, as if something else caught her attention.

The only thing we could see of Kairi was her hand. A couple of her fingers twitched.

Sora smiled. "Kairi."

Then, she disappeared. Someone dragged her away. The only thing we heard we a shriek from Wendy, the only indication of a struggle.

"Wendy!" Peter yelled. Turning to us, he said, "Come on, let's get up there!"

"Right," I said. "Come on, Sora."

Sora merely nodded.

"How are we gonna get up there?" Goofy asked.

Donald answered him by jumping up and flapping his arms again, only the fail. We still couldn't fly.

"Guess it still hasn't kicked in yet," I murmured. I looked around for any way out of the kitchen. Then I saw a way out.

"Look," I said, pointing to a whole in one of the nettings. "It may not lead directly to the room that Wendy and Kairi were in, but it's a way out."

"Good eye!" Peter exclaimed.

"Thanks. And who knows? Maybe there's a door up there that leads to their room."

There were several bells sounding from Tink.

"What did she say, Peter?" Goofy asked.

"She said that's a possibility."

"Then let's go!" Donald exclaimed.

Peter and Tinker Bell flew through the open gap while the rest of us climbed through. We climbed into a small cabin, with two hammocks. There was a ladder and a door in the room. I walked to the door and tried to open it, but no dice.

"Door's locked," I said.

"Nowhere to go but up," Sora said.

So we did just that. Everyone, with the exception of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, climbed up the ladder and entered yet another cabin. This cabin, though, was far grander than the rest we had seen. There was an actual bed instead of a hammock. In the middle of the room there was a desk, with a red-cushioned chair behind it. There was also a piano in the corner.

"This must be Captain Hook's cabin," I said.

At the mention of this, Peter and Tink started to rummage through the pirate's things.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for something we can use against that codfish, of course," was Peter's response.

I shook my head, and followed Sora.

It appears we weren't the only ones in the room. Standing next to the only other exit was Riku, cradling Kairi.

"Riku, wait!" Sora called out.

But he didn't. Riku backed out of the room, and as he did, a shadow began to seep through, eventually taking a solid form.

The shadow took on Sora's form.

"This can't be good," I said.

When Riku was completely gone from the room, the Anti-Sora, as I decided to call it, began to attack us. Unfortunately, Sora and I were the only ones ready. Donald was helping Peter and Tinker Bell while Goofy was messing around with the piano.

I blocked its first attack. It helped that I had fought with Sora before, when we were practicing sword fighting. That, and whenever we got into a fight period. So, it came in handy when fighting Anti-Sora.

Sora seemed to be having trouble, which came as a surprise to me.

"What's wrong, Sora?" I asked. "Having trouble with the idea of beating yourself up?"

"Not now, Pyn!" Sora shouted.

"Right." He was right of course. We were in the middle of a battle and I was making jokes. It didn't help him any that it was Riku, of all people, who sent the Heartless after us. It had an obvious effect on Sora's fighting.

By now, the others had recovered enough that they were prepared for the fight. We had the advantage of Peter being able to fly. He was able to zip around and land combo after combo on Anti-Sora. Donald cast as many spells as he could, which ended up only being useful when the creature was a solid form. Goofy blocked with his shield, throwing it like a Frisbee once in a while.

It didn't take long to learn Anti-Sora's routine of attack. It tended to hide in the shadows, especially after a critical combo, and every once in a while it would divide itself into three, just to use as a defense mechanism. For the most part we were able to figure out which one was the real Anti-Sora.

But there was one attack that I was not anticipating. Anti-Sora dived into the floor, disappearing for a while.

"Did we beat it?" Donald asked.

"I'm not sure," I said. "I think so."

"Are you sure?" Sora asked.

"I don't know!"

"Whoa, calm down!"

"I can't, Sora! Not when I feel that something isn't right."

As if to prove me right, Anti-Sora burst out of the floor, weapon first, right underneath me. The attack did a lot of damage, and caused me to be knocked back, right into a wall. I fell to the floor.

"PYN!" Sora yelled.

I could barely stand. I had the wind knocked out of me from hitting the wall, and I was dizzy on top of that. Anti-Sora began to walk in my direction.

"Stay away from her!" Sora shouted. He ran over to where I was laying, and put himself in between the Heartless and me.

"Sora?" I was worried. I had never seen him this mad, not even when we were inside Monstro. He was mad then, but not this mad.

He immediately cast Blizzara, which caused Anti-Sora to stop where it stood. Then, Sora threw the Kingdom Key, which went right through the enemy, shattering it and causing it to disappear. As if it were a boomerang, Sora's Kingdom Key zoomed right back to him.

Everyone was looking at Sora with surprise. No one was expecting that at all.

Looking at everyone, Sora asked, "What?"

"Where did that come from?" Donald asked.

"We've never seen you fight like that, Sora," Goofy said.

Sora shrugged. "I just…don't want anyone to get hurt. That's all." Sora turned to me, and, holding up his Keyblade, said, "Cure."

I felt the effects of the spell immediately, and was now able to stand up. "Thanks, Sora. You really saved me," I said.

"Of, course! That's what family is for, right?"

"Family?"

"Yeah. You're like a sister, Pyn." He paused, as if thinking about something. "You know what, when we get back to the islands, you should come live with my family and me. No more orphanage."

I smiled. "You mean it?"

"Yeah!"

I smiled, a tear forming. "Thanks, Sora."

He nodded. "You're welcome."

"Now let's go find Riku, Kairi, and Wendy."

We headed for the door Riku escaped through. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were the first through the door. Peter stopped me before we headed through.

"Are you really an orphan?" he asked

I nodded. "Yeah. Since Ven and Terra, and…and _her_ have disappeared, I've never really had a home."

"Oh."

Tinker Bell flew up to me, and stood on my shoulder. She patted my cheek, and small bells emitted from her. I didn't necessarily understand her, but I knew she had to be saying something along the lines of "Sorry, Pyn."

"Thanks, Tinker Bell. I'll be okay. Sora's right, though. He's kinda like a brother, now that I think about it. He's always looking out for me."

More bells, and a nod from Peter.

"Well, let's get going. Sora and them will be wondering what happened to us."

As if to agree with me, Peter headed through the door, with Tink behind him.

Before walking through the door myself, I couldn't help but think about my missing friends. _Ven, Terra, and…where are you?_

xxx

We found one of the three people we were looking for.

"Wendy!" Peter exclaimed.

Poor Wendy was unconscious. Peter flew over to her, and picked her up.

Tinker Bell didn't like that at all.

"Come on! Not now, Tink!" Peter yelled.

With that, Tink stomped her foot, and flew off.

"Well, this is as far as I go," Peter said. "I gotta help Wendy." This time, it was Peter who flew off.

"Peter! Wait!" I called out. But he didn't stop.

"Well, now what?" Donald asked.

"We find Riku and Kairi," Sora said.

We walked through a door right next to us, which lead us to the deck of the ship.

"We're finally outside!" I exclaimed.

"We're not the only ones," Sora pointed out.

And he was right. On deck were a group of Pirate Heartless, Mr. Smee, and Captain Hook.

"Quite a codfish, that Riku," Hook said. "Running off with that girl without saying goodbye."

"Run off where?" I asked.

"Tell us," Sora demanded. "Where did he go?"

"To the ruins of Hollow Bastion," Hook replied. "Where Maleficent resides."

"Maleficent?" I asked. _So that's where she's hiding_.

"But you won't be going there." He held up a lantern. Inside was Tinker Bell. "Unless you intend to leave your little pixie friend behind."

"Tinker Bell!" I called out.

The fairy started to bang on the glass of the lantern.

"No…" Sora said. I hadn't noticed until now, but he banished the Kingdom Key.

We were now surrounded by Heartless.

"Hand over the Keyblades and I'll spare your lives," Captain Hook said. "Be glad I'm merciful, unlike the Heartless. So which will it be: the Keyblade, or the plank?"

_I'll take the plank, thank you!_ I thought.

Sora and I positioned ourselves to where we were on the plank.

Suddenly, there was a ticking sound. "I recognize that ticking noise," I said. I looked beneath the plank, and sure enough, Captain Hook's worst fear was bobbing along the surface of the water, flicking the end of his tail in time with the ticking.

Captain Hook didn't like this at all.

"It's him! The crocodile what took me hand! Oh, Smee! He's after me other hand! I can't stay here!" Then to the crocodile, he said, "Go away!"

To Smee again, he added, "I can't stand the sight of him. Smee, you take care of them!" With that, he quickly climbed a ladder and headed for his cabin.

Smee stood there, holding the lantern that Tink was trapped in, waiting for us to make a decision.

Sora was the first to line up to jump. Below us, the crocodile was ready to gobble us up.

_Of course, _I thought. _He'll eat anything._

Sora was about to jump, when we heard a voice above us. "Fly, Sora! Just believe, and you can do it!"

I looked above us, and saw Peter Pan hiding in the rigging of the ship. I smiled.

"Better listen to him, Sora," I said. "Or I'll push you off myself."

"No thanks," he said. And then he jumped.

He was almost in the crocodile's mouth, when he pushed off the tip of its jaws and was flying. He was really flying.

It was my turn. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and jumped. I didn't even make it to the crocodile. I opened my eyes, and found that I was floating automatically.

I laughed. Then, looking at the Heartless, I summoned Destiny's Union, and flew right toward them. I slashed at them, hitting three the first go around. I positioned myself for another run, when I saw Peter fly by and snatch the lantern holding Tink from Smee's hands. I flew by the Heartless, hitting more as I did, and pushed Mr. Smee's red hat to where it was covering his face. I landed right next to Sora and Peter, who released Tinker Bell from her cage.

"Thanks, Peter!" Sora and I said in unison.

"Hey, don't mention it!" he said. "You didn't think I'd leave you and Tink behind, did ya?"

Smee ran off, and more Heartless popped up. Tink flew around us, then around Donald and Goofy. I felt a little stronger now that she did that.

"You're all going down!" I shouted.

Sora and I summoned our Keyblades, and Donald and Goofy summoned their weapons.

_Now that we can fly,_ I thought. _This is going to be fun_.

xxx

Peter, Sora, and I were standing next to the door next to Hook's cabin, while Donald and Goofy waited on the deck. Peter held up a finger, signaling us to be quiet. Then, he knocked on the door.

"Is that you, Smee?" we heard Captain Hook asked. "Did you finish them off?"

"Aye, Cap'n," Peter said, imitating Mr. Smee's voice. "They walked the plank. Every last one of them."

Everyone hid at that point, because Hook ran out of his cabin to see if we were gone. When he had his back turned, Peter snuck behind him, and stuck him with his knife.

Hook jumped several feet and turned around. "P-Peter Pa-blast you!"

"Ready to make a splash you codfish?" Peter asked. "Now it's your turn to walk the plank!"

Taking this as our cue, Sora and I readied our Keyblades and began attacking the pirate captain. Captain Hook wasn't able to recover quick enough to unsheathe his sword and fight back. In all honesty, I don't think allowed him much of a window to do so.

When he was able to recover, however, he let out a string of attacks, making it hard to land a hit. Most of us were able to fly out of the way. Donald, unfortunately wasn't able to.

_Man, _I thought. _Donald gets it pretty rough_.

"Cura!" I shouted. Green leaves swirled around Donald.

"Thanks!" he exclaimed before flying away from Captain Hook.

"He's definitely a tougher opponent," I said.

"Yeah," Sora agreed, huffing and puffing. "You said it."

"Wonder how we'll beat him."

"Leave it to me!" Peter said. With that, he flew off.

"We can't let him take on Hook alone," Jiminy said in my ear. He was holding onto the strap of my purple tank top.

I nodded. "Right." I flew after Peter, Keyblade in hand.

"Hey, wait up!" Sora called after me.

I swooped in and stabbed Captain Hook in the butt. He jumped up a good several feet, and then turned around to face me. "Ye blasted Princess! I'll get ye for that!"

"Why is every bad guy we meet up with calling me that?" I wondered out loud. _I know why,_ I thought. _Just wish they would stop. It's getting annoying!_ "Well, come on then, Captain Codfish! Let's see if you can catch me!"

Captain Hook readied his sword, raising it to strike at me. I quickly flew out of the way, and swung Destiny's Union at him, landing a nice combo. He stumbled back, turned, and lunged at me again. I flew away from him again, and swooped at him, and grabbed a hold of his hat.

"Hey, leave some of the fun for us!" Peter called out.

He flew over to me, and I handed him the hat. Sora and I flew to two different sides of Hook and cast Fira on him. This caused his pants to catch on fire, for which he jumped high enough that Peter could easily put his hat back on his head and landed back onto the deck of the ship, running around trying to put the fire out. When we were satisfied with watching Hook like a chicken with its head cut off, the three of us grabbed a hold of the pirate captain and tossed him into the water.

Hook seemed to like the fact that his pants were no longer on fire. What he didn't like was a ticking sound that started next to him. It was none other than the crocodile he feared most.

"SMMMMEEEEEEE!" Captain Hook cried as he swam away from the creature that took his hand.

Smee followed them in a rowboat, rowing as fast as he could.

"We did it!" Donald exclaimed.

Sora, Peter, and I landed on the deck, next to the door to Captain Hook's cabin. Donald and Goofy joined us there.

Goofy nodded. "Now all that's left is to find the Key—"

I quickly covered his mouth, to prevent him from spilling any important information.

"The key?" Peter asked.

"Yeah," I quickly said, trying to cover up Goofy's mistake. "The key to Captain Hook's treasure chest. I saw that it was in the cabin. We wanted to see what he had."

"Oh. Well, that old codfish took it with him when he fled from the crocodile."

Donald and I looked defeated. "Aww," Donald said.

"Pyn, look at this!" Jiminy exclaimed.

I walked over to where Jiminy was standing. There was a piece of paper on the ground. I picked it up, and read the title.

"Another one of Ansem's reports!" I exclaimed.

"We must be getting closer to finding all of the pages," Goofy observed. "Huh?"

Donald and I looked over to where Goofy was looking. Sora was standing over by one of the rails.

_It must be about Kairi_, I thought. I walked over there to reassure him that everything would be okay.

"Um, Kairi couldn't wake up," Goofy said. "So maybe she's really lost her—"

"Shh!" Donald interrupted him.

Peter stood a few feet away from us. "Sora?"

I looked over at Sora, a look of worry beginning to form.

"I still can't believe it," he said.

_Here it goes. He's worried about what Riku did, too, no doubt._

"I really flew! Wait 'til I tell Kairi! Wonder if she'll believe me. Probably not."

I smiled and shook my head. "Your moods sure do change quickly."

"You can bring her to Neverland sometime," Peter Pan suggested. "Then she can try it out for herself."

I turned to Peter. "Hey, great idea!"

"If you believe, you can do anything, right?" Sora asked.

Peter nodded.

"I'll find Kairi. I know I will. There's so much I want to tell her—about flying, the pirates, and everything else that has happened."

Suddenly, a small ball of light flew around us, and then stopped in front of Peter. Tinker Bell began to chime at him.

"What's that, Tink?" he asked. "What about the clock tower? You say there's something there?"

More chimes, and Tink urged us to follow her. And follow her we did.

xxx

Sure enough, there was something at the clock tower. Wendy was sitting along one of the ledges. Upon seeing us flying closer, she stood up.

"Better be careful, Wendy," Peter said.

"I'll be fine," she assured him. She backed away from the ledge and stood closer to one of the walls.

"What are you doing here, Wendy?" I asked.

"Well, there's something strange about one of the clock faces of Big Ben. Both hands should be at twelve, but they aren't."

"Wonder what it means."

Sora had folded his arms, thinking. Then he jumped a little. "Oh!" he exclaimed.

"What?"

"What if it's—?" he began to ask.

I immediately caught on to what he was saying. "It's gotta be!"

Sora nodded. "Let's go!"

Sora flew off. Grabbing a hold of Donald and Goofy, I followed him shortly.

"WAK!" Donald squawked. "What's the big idea?"

"The Keyhole," I merely stated.

"Oh, I gotcha!" Goofy exclaimed.

We flew around Big Ben until we came to the malfunctioning clock face. Just as Wendy had said, the hands weren't pointing at twelve like it should be. So the four of us pushed the minute hand just enough times that the clock now read 12:00 midnight.

We flew away from the clock face to get a look at our handy work when it began to glow. Within seconds, a small Keyhole appeared right next to the three on the clock face. Sora and I raised our Keyblades and locked the Keyhole, keeping this world safe from any more Heartless attacks. We flew back to the tower where Wendy was walking and talking to Peter Pan while he was flying. We landed and listened to the rest of their conversation.

"Peter, are you really going back to Neverland?" she asked.

"Afraid so," he said. "But we can see each other any time. As long as you don't forget about Neverland, that is." At this, he held Wendy's hands.

Donald began to laugh, but quickly stopped himself when he noticed that Tinker Bell was right next to him. She seemed pretty upset.

"Oh, boy," Peter said, noticing what was going on. "She's getting' steamed again." Turning to Sora and I, he said, "Do me a favor. Look after for me, will ya?"

Tinker Bell seemed to like this idea, and flew right up to Sora and twirled in front of him.

"Huh?" he asked, confused.

I smiled. I couldn't help but laugh. Donald and Goofy couldn't seem to hold it in either.

xxx

I shifted in my seat in the Gummi Ship. I was trying to get comfortable, especially after all of that flying. There was also some competition for who was going to be sitting on my shoulder, now that Tinker Bell had joined the party.

"Come on, Jiminy," I said. "You and Tink can take turns. You can sit in Sora's hood this round, and Tink can sit on my shoulder."

"Whoa, how did I get pulled into this?" Sora asked.

"You're the one who Peter asked to look after Tink. I'm doing you a favor and taking the first shift."

He groaned a little. "Fine." He slumped in his chair.

"Better stop by Cid's before we head over to another world. We've gotta give him this Gummi piece."

"So, Pyn," Jiminy began. "How many worlds have we been to now that you've been to before?"

I thought about it for a moment. _Olympus Coliseum, Neverland…_ "Only two, I guess. Olympus Coliseum and Neverland."

Sora sat up straight. "And do you remember any more about your other friends?"

I shook my head. "Nothing."

Tink put a tiny hand on my cheek. I knew she was trying to make me feel better, so I smiled, showing that I was alright. She nodded, acknowledging that she got my message.

But I don't think I fooled her for one minute. I wasn't fooling myself really either.

No one else pressed me about my friends. The truth is, I was glad. I looked out the window, and closed my eyes for a well-deserved nap.

_Terra, Ven, where are you?_ I wondered.


	22. Hollow Bastion, A Truth Revealed

Author's Note: Quick update and I'm hoping for another one! We are getting closer to the end of the story, guys. Which means I might be finished with this story before KH3D comes out. That's my goal anyway. So I think there are about…three or four more chapters? That sounds about right. Then, it's on to CoM.

So here you guys go! Enjoy the chapter and let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not, under any circumstances, own Kingdom Hearts or any Final Fantasy characters mentioned. I only have ownership of the character Pyn. KH and FF belong to Disney and Square-Enix, respectively.

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-One: Hollow Bastion, A Truth Revealed<strong>

"Well, we found the over Navi-Gummi piece," Donald said. "Let's go back to town."

Sora leaned back in his seat, arms behind his head. "Yeah," he said. "Cid'll install it on the ship once we bring it to him."

I yawned, waking up from my nap. "What Gummi?"

"The one that fell out of the clock face when we sealed the Keyhole. Goofy was able to swoosh over to grab it before it fell to the ground."

"Really? I missed that? How could I have missed that?"

"Beats me."

"You're no help," I said. I thought about it for a second. "Then again, I suppose I do miss a lot these days. I'm a sleep for half the trip in the Gummi Ship anyway."

"Pyn," Sora said, a worried look on his face.

"I'll be fine."

We continued the trip in silence, with the occasional squabble between Donald and Goofy. Eventually, we made it back to Traverse Town.

We landed in the First District. I remembered that Cid hung around the Accessory Shop, so I started walking in that direction.

"Pyn, where are you going?" Sora asked.

"Behind the Accessory Shop," I said. "Cid said that would be the place to find him."

"Oh. Right."

Sure enough, when we got there, Cid was standing on the corner, right up the stairs from a new building.

"Wait, this building wasn't here before," I said.

I was the only one who had stopped. Everyone else kept walking.

I felt something tugging at my hair. I looked down and saw the Tinker Bell was pulling it to get my attention, urging me to move on. I had almost forgotten about her.

"Okay, I'm going."

"Well if it isn't Sora, Pyn, and the gang. What can I do fer ya?" Cid asked.

"We brought you something you might like to see," I said. I held up the Navi-Gummi where he could see it.

"Looks like you found the other one. Let me see it."

I handed it to Cid, who then pulled out the other Navi-Gummi piece and looked at them side by side. "Okay," he said. "Wait here. I'll get 'em installed right now."

"Okay," Sora said. "We're parked out front."

With that, Cid walked off in the direction of our ship. And we decided to sit and wait.

We had probably been waiting for about ten minutes when Donald startled me. Thankfully I was the only one sitting down when this happened, or I probably would have fallen over because I would have jumped so high.

"Sora!" he squawked.

I looked over at Sora. He was frowning, and looked really worried.

"Now, just remember what Donald said to ya," Goofy said. "No frowning, no sad faces."

"How can you be so cheerful?" Sora asked, sort of frustrated. "There's still no sign of your King. Aren't you worried?"

"Aw phooey," Donald said.

"The king asked us to find the key bearer," Goofy said. "And we found the both of ya. So as long as we stick together, it'll all be okay. Ya just gotta believe in yourself, that's all."

"Believe?" I asked.

"Just believe..." Sora slowly repeated after Goofy.

I looked at Goofy, at Sora, and then at the ground. _Is it that simple?_ I wondered. _I guess...I'll try_. I took a deep breath, and closed my eyes.

_I believe_, I thought to myself.

"I believe in you," I heard three voices say in my head. One voice stuck out stronger than the rest.

_Ven?_

xxx

_"Hey, Grandma?" Kairi asked._

_"Hm? What is it?"_

_"Could you tell me that story?"_

_Kairi's grandma laughed. "Again, dear?"_

_"Please?"_

_"Very well, then."_

_I stood there with the blue-haired woman in a courtyard of sorts, holding her hand, watching my new friend Kairi walk off with her grandma. We stood there and listened to her story._

_"Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves. And darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared. But small fragments of light survived, in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. That's why the worlds are still scattered, divided from each other. But someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open, and the true light will return. So, listen, child. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away."_

_Then Kairi and her grandma disappeared down a set of stairs._

_I could feel the woman tighten her hand around my._

_"Kairi," she said. "Something tells me I didn't run into her by accident."_

_I looked up at her, confused by what she said. Maybe I was because I was still too young to know._

_She looked down at me and smiled. "Don't worry, Pyn. I'll keep you safe. I promised Master Eraqus."_

_I nodded. "Why did you say that you didn't run into Kairi by accident?"_

_"You two are special. Maybe that's why we ran into her."_

_"Our hearts?" I asked, holding my free hand close to mine._

_"Could be," she replied._

xxx

"Huh?" Sora asked, breaking my train of thought.

"What's the matter?" Goofy asked him.

"Umm...nothing." Then, more to himself, he added. "Kairi? Did you call me?"

I looked up at him. "Sora?"

"I'm back," Cid announced.

I stood up and wiped the dirt off of my shorts. "Took you long enough."

"Well, excuse me for wanting to be done right."

I shook my head and waved my hands. "No, sorry. I didn't mean it like that! I'm sure you did an awesome job!"

Cid just smiled. "Well, I installed that navigation Gummi." He closed his eyes, shook his head, and then looked back at us. "But, ya know? That place is crawlin' with Heartless. Don't say I didn't warn ya."

Sora and I looked at each other, quite confused by what he was saying. I folded my arms and thought about what he could mean.

"Huh?" Sora asked.

"Hollow Bastion. Don't say I didn't warn ya!"

"Okay, we'll be careful."

_To the ruins of Hollow Bastion_, I heard Captain Hook's voice say in my head. _Where Maleficent resides_.

"Yeah," I agreed with Sora. "We'll try."

"See ya later, then," Cid said. "An' good luck."

"Thanks, Cid."

As he walked to the Second District, we headed back to the Gummi Ship, but not before I insisted we get more items for the journey.

"Why?" Donald asked.

"Am I the only one who remembers what half the people say around us?" I asked, more in a rhetorical way. "Captain Hook was the one that said that's where Maleficent hangs out."

Small chimes in my ear went off in agreement.

"Oh, right," Goofy said. "Then we better be prepared, huh?"

We went into Huey, Duey, and Louie's Item Shop and bought as many Potions, Hi-Potions, and Ethers as we could. We even bought some rare Elixirs, since they were running a special on them, and they were, well, rare.

Satisfied, we headed for the Gummi Ship and took off. As soon as we were away from Traverse Town, I broke off another one of Donald and Sora's squabbles over who would steer.

"Hey, something's been bothering me," I said over them.

"What?"

"Well, it's mainly what Ursula, Oogie Boogie, and Captain Hook have said."

"About them calling you a Princess?"

I looked at Sora, surprise obviously painted on my face.

"That's right. I pay attention sometimes!"

"Well, yeah. I think they're right. By calling me that, I mean."

"Why do you say that?"

"You remember what Jafar said, back in Agrabah?"

"Oh, when he mentioned the thing about the door?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, yeah," Sora said. "But what does that have to do with you being a Princess?"

"Think about it. Jafar mentioned that there are seven princesses who hold the key to opening the door. And the last three baddies we took on all called me a Princess."

"So, what you're sayin' is that you're one of the Princesses?" Goofy asked.

"Yes."

"Well, I'll be," Jiminy said. "You figured out all of that just by what they've said?"

"Well," I said. "No. Not completely."

"What do you mean 'not completely'?" Donald asked.

"Well, I remember when I was little, I went to another world with one of my friends, and I met Maleficent there. She took me captive, and kinda told me her plans—about how the Princesses were the key to rule all of the worlds. She even told me that I was one of them."

"Whoa," was all Sora could say.

"Yeah. It was...pretty scary."

"Well, don't worry," Sora said. "We'll take care of Maleficent, and stop her from getting that door."

I smiled and nodded. "Of course we will. Thanks, Sora."

He smiled back, and then sat back in his seat. I did the same, and looked out of the window. By the time we were going through a warp hole past Agrabah, I fell asleep.

xxx

When I woke up, we were at Hollow Bastion. It was a string of chimes that woke me up, as if to tell me we were here.

"Thanks, Tink," I said.

We disembarked from the Gummi Ship, and ended up in a strange area. We were standing on a tiled platform, and everywhere we looked, there was water rising up and over, creating a wall. There were several smaller platforms of ice leading up and out of the walled area. It led up to castle in the distance, a castle with a giant Heartless insignia.

"Gawrsh," Goofy said. "Look at that."

I looked around. "I know I've been here..."

"Me, too," Sora said.

"Hmm, that's strange," Goofy added.

"I wonder why...I feel this warmth, right inside here." Sora pointed to his heart.

"I know the feeling," I said.

"Aw," Donald said. "You're just hungry."

"Hey, I'm serious!" Sora exclaimed.

"I'm serious, too, Donald," I said. "I know I've been here before. It looks oddly familiar. And that castle in the distance? I know I've seen it before, too. It looks different, though. The last time I saw it, it didn't have that giant Heartless insignia stamped on it."

"Gawrsh, really?" Goofy asked.

I nodded. "It's almost as if someone took over this world and...changed it. I can't explain it really, but I can feel a lot of darkness here. Something's not right."

Just then, a roar emitted from somewhere above and in front of us. It sounded sad, and angry.

"What the—?" Donald asked.

"Sounds like someone's in trouble."

"Well, let's go," Sora said.

We started to climb the platforms, jumping to them one by one, until we came to a central platform. It was bigger than the rest, and made out of the same title as the platform we started on. This platform had a small pond and a rectangle arch, as if it was meant to be a doorway. Standing on the platform was a beast, wearing a long, purple cape and brown pants, and Riku.

_Riku..._

"I vowed I would find her again," the beast said. "No matter the cost. I believed I would find her. So here I am. She must be here. I will have her back!"

"Take her if you can," Riku challenged.

The beast lunged at Riku, who did a backflip to counter his attack. After he landed, Riku attacked the beast, dealing enough damage to knock him back and to the ground.

"Stop!" Sora shouted.

"So, you finally made it," Riku said. "About time. I've been waiting for you." To Sora, he added, "We've always been rivals, haven't we? You've always pushed me as I've always pushed you."

"Riku..." I said.

"But it all ends here. There can't be three Keyblade Masters."

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked.

"Let the Keyblade choose...it's true master."

What happened next confused everyone. Riku raised his hand, as if he was trying to grab a hold of something. Sora's Keyblade was summoned, and was being pulled away as if someone were trying to take it from Sora. Sora struggled to fight that unknown force, but lost. The Kingdom Key was now in Riku's possession.

"What?" Donald, Goofy, and I wondered.

"Maleficent was right," Riku said. "You don't have what it takes to save Kairi. It's up to me. Only the Keyblade master can open the secret door...and change the world."

"But that's impossible!" Sora exclaimed. "How did all this happen? I'm the one who fought my way here with the Keyblade!"

"You were just the delivery boy." Riku pulled out a wooden sword, the same one we each used to use when we were sword fighting on the island. "Sorry, your part's over now. Here, go play hero with this." With that he tossed it over to Sora, who fell to his knees in defeat. I walked over and knelt beside him.

Then I heard Donald say "Goofy, let's go. We have to remember our mission."

"Oh," Goofy said. "I know the King told us to follow the key and all...but..."

Donald and Goofy walked off, but not before Donald added "Sora, Pyn, sorry."

That's when I lost it. "Riku, that's enough! Are you really that stupid to listen to what Maleficent is telling you? She's using you, Riku! Just like she almost used me! Does she have you brainwashed or something? Sora's your best friend, and you're letting what Maleficent says come in between you!"

Riku turned and looked at me. "Why should you care? You shouldn't be here at all anyway."

I was shocked by what he said, and hurt. "Wha—?"

"That's right. Maleficent told me about you. You shouldn't even have a Keyblade." With that, he walked off, Donald and Goofy trailing behind him.

I couldn't believe what he had said. _Riku...  
><em>  
>I heard shuffling behind me, and saw that the beast was moving. I ran over to help him, but Sora was the first to respond.<p>

"Hey, don't move," he said. "You're hurt."

"Why... why did you...you come here?" the beast asked. "I came to fight for Belle. And though I am on my own, I will fight. I won't leave without her. That's why I'm here."

Sora and I looked at each other. I was helping the beast to stand, who nodded his thanks. I nodded back, and then saw Sora pick up the wooden sword.

"Me too," Sora said. "I'm not gonna give up now. I came here to find someone very important to me."

I nodded to him, clearly pleased with his resolve. "And I'm gonna help. Someone besides him has to take care of the Heartless. You can't really do that with a wooden sword."

Sora sighed. "You're right."

I turned to the beast. "I'm Pyn, and this is Sora. What's your name?"

The beast just shook his head. "I've only been going by 'Beast'. That is what anyone who has seen me has called me."

"Oh. Okay. Wish we could have met on better circumstances."

With that, the three of us headed in the same direction as Riku, Donald, and Goofy did...in the direction of the castle.


	23. Scherzo di Notte

Author's Note: So…this is definitely a long chapter. I tried to fit in as much of the rest of Hollow Bastion in this chapter as I could, but that world decided to be difficult, so the rest will be in the next one. Sorry, but it just had to be done. I think where I left off though was a good spot. And you see a little bit of a brother-sister moment between Sora and Pyn, at least as far as how they look after each other goes.

Well, I hate to tell you guys, but we are almost done with _Re: Kingdom Hearts_. Hopefully I can fit the last bit into two chapters, but it might end up being three, mainly because of what goes down in the rest of Hollow Bastion and in the End of the World. I'm thinking this fanfic is gonna be done by the time _Dream Drop Distance_ comes out. But sadly, this story is coming to a close soon.

On that note, I am planning on doing a fanfic for _Chain of Memories_ based off of the Game Boy version instead of the remake. I plan on making that one into two different perspectives (one of them being Pyn's of course) and sticking to the main plot. So I will not be including every world. That fanfic will be shorter, mainly because I plan on doing one for _358/2 Days_ and want to spend more time on that. But I still value your input, so if there is a particular world you would like me to visit in that story, let me know and I will possibly put it in there, especially if it's a favorite.

Well, KH3D comes out in three more days, so I better bust a move and get these last chapters done. I don't know about you guys, but on Tuesday, I'm gonna be preoccupied with that game. Just warning you right now. So enjoy the chapter guys! I can't believe I've gotten this far!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Two: Scherzo di Notte<strong>

Sora, Beast, and I climbed up the rest of the platforms to last one. In the distance, we could see the castle.

"It's so far away," I said. "How are we gonna get over there?"

"Not sure," Sora said. "But we're gonna get over there. One way or another."

Next to the rectangular arch on the platform, there was a pillar with a star shaped topper that was glowing an electric blue color.

"What do you suppose this is?"

"Don't know," I said, shrugging. "Maybe it's a switch?"

"But for what?"

"Try touching it."

Sora did exactly that, and within a few seconds, a platform zoomed from the direction of the castle over to where we were standing.

"Ah!" I exclaimed. "So it's a switch for the platform. Makes sense now."

We walked onto the platform, and it zipped us towards the castle. As we got off the platform, I gazed up at the castle.

"It...doesn't look as peaceful as it used to," I observed.

"What was it like before?" Sora asked.

"Well...there were fountains and gardens everywhere. And..." I shook my head. "We don't have time to talk about it. We've got to catch up to Riku."

Beast growled. "It seems it will take longer than expected." He pointed to something in front of him.

Sora and I looked toward where he was pointing. "Heartless!" I exclaimed.

There was a large group of Shadows, and a small handful of large ball shaped Pureblood Heartless, with antennae and jagged jaws. They were like evolved versions of the Shadows.

"Darkballs?" I wondered at.

"Why those ones?" Sora asked.

I smirked. "So, you read about these ones, too, huh?"

Beast growled, most likely out of aggravation. "Focus!" he snarled.

We looked at him, and nodded.

The Darkballs really weren't that hard to fight. The only thing that made it difficult to fight them was that they were constantly moving. They fought mainly by chomping their jaws and by constantly bobbing up and down. I was able to find an opening when they were standing still.

I looked over and saw that Beast was cleaning house, easily clearing the area of Heartless. Sora was swinging the wooden sword as hard as he could, trying to help as much as he could.

_Poor Sora_, I thought. _He's not used to not having the Keyblade. But I know he'll make it through. He's strong, and quick to figure things out. Just like Ven._

When the Heartless in the area were gone, the three of us ran over to the entrance to the castle. The gates were closed, so Sora tried to open them, but they wouldn't budge.

"No use," he said. "They're locked."

"What are we going to do?" I asked. "Riku, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi are in there."

_And Maleficent_, I mentally added. _That witch is in there, too._

"Find a way to open the gates," Beast said.

Sora nodded. I folded my arms, lost in thought. "But where would we look?"

"You've been here before," Sora said.

"Yeah, but I don't remember everything about the place. It's changed, a lot."

"Didn't we pass another path on the way over here?" a small voice asked.

I jumped. I had completely forgotten that Jiminy had gotten off the Gummi Ship with us. It seemed he had surprised Sora, too.

"Jiminy?" Sora asked. "You stayed with us?"

"Of course," Jiminy said, hopping out of Sora's hood and onto his shoulder. "Someone needs to be here to guide you."

A set of chimes went off as a small ball of light flew around us.

"Guess Tinker Bell decided to stay, too," I said.

Tinker Bell pulled on the strap of my tank top, trying to show me something.

"What is it, Tink?"

To answer my question, she zoomed off in the opposite direction of the gates, the direction where we came from. I ran after her, following her down another pathway. There, a gate was opening up.

_That's why I didn't see the path earlier_, I thought. _The gate was closed._

We walked down the path, which led to another contraption. As Sora activated it, summoning another elevated platform, I looked around to see who could have opened the gate. But there was no one there.

_Who opened the gate then?_

The little area we were lowered into was full of water. There were several areas where rocks and platforms that could be seen, but none were close enough for us to walk to without getting wet.

"How are we going to get over there?" I wondered.

"Don't look at me!" Sora exclaimed. "I don't have a boat or anything like that."

"There must be something!" I turned to ask Beast what he thought, but was distracted by something behind him.

My eyes widened. _A Defender?_

"Beast, look out!" I shouted.

Just as Beast turned around, the Defender started to attack by pushing his shield (the face on the shield's jaws were moving?) out in front of it. I rammed into Beast to move him out of the way of the attack, putting myself in harm's way. The attack caused me to be knocked back towards the water.

"PYN!" Sora shouted.

I expected to feel water rushing around me. I had my eyes closed, so as to not get water in them. But surprisingly enough, I didn't. I opened my eyes, and saw that I was laying down on top of the water. It was wet, but solid like a regular floor.

"What?" I asked.

I got up, and watched as Beast dispatched the Defender. Then, he turned to me and said, "Thank you."

I nodded. "You're welcome." I stood up and wrung out what I could of the water from my clothes.

"Weird," Sora said.

"You said it. Now to figure out where to go next."

"What's Tinker Bell doing?" Jiminy asked.

I looked over to where Jiminy was looking, and saw the small fairy looking at a large bubble. I walked over there, with Sora and Beast following behind.

"What'd ya find, Tink?" I asked.

She emitted a series of bells, pointing to the bubble while she did.

"I'm guessing you're saying that we need to get in the bubble?"

She nodded her head, flew around me, and pulled on my shirt.

"I guess we're taking the bubble, then," Jiminy said.

Everyone got into the bubble, which then submerged itself into the water. It flowed underneath a wall, which led us to an underground room. The bubble rose from the water and then popped. We landed on solid ground.

"Well, that was interesting," I said.

"I'll say," Sora agreed.

"Let's find a way to open those gates."

We walked around the room, which only led to a dead end. Alongside one of the walls was a barred window.

"Great," I said. "This leads nowhere."

"No," Beast said. We went over to the window, and rammed his fist into the bars. He tore it down, creating an opening for us to get through.

"Huh. I stand corrected."

What we found was a maze of contraptions. When we pressed one switch to open a gate, it would bar us in the next time we pressed another switch.

"Ah," Sora said. "We keep getting locked in!"

"Keep calm," Beast said. "It's a puzzle."

"A puzzle we can't seem to figure out," I said. I folded my arms, locating each of the switches we needed to hit.

"What is it?" Jiminy asked.

"We know the path. It's just getting there that's the trick."

I looked around again, examining each of the gates as I did. I smiled. "I think I got it!" I hit one of the switches, and opened another gate. The others followed as I continued, taking us to a switch that turned on a rising platform. We hopped onto it before it went up without us, and sure enough, it led us to another switch. A switch that was being guarded by a Defender.

"Ugh," I said in disgust. "Another one of these?"

Beast and I made short work of the Defender with our combined attacks, with Sora casting Fira and Blizzara. As soon as it was gone, I hit the next switch. When I did, there was a rumbling sound that could be heard from above us. The rumbling of gears, the cranking of wheels; all could be heard down here in the Waterway.

"What was that?" Sora asked.

"I think that was the gate opening," I said.

"Yes," Beast agreed. "That must be it. We must hurry, for Belle and for your friend."

Sora and I nodded, and the three of us, with Tinker Bell and Jiminy tucked away, quickly making our way back to the entrance.

Thankfully, we made it back in one piece. We encountered plenty of Heartless on the way back up, from Darkballs to Defenders. All were in our way, and we did what we could to get rid of them. Even though Sora didn't have a Keyblade, he was doing alright by cast as many attack-based spells on the Heartless and healing Beast and I when we needed it.

_Donald better watch out when we catch up to him_, I thought. _Sora's doing a good job of taking his place._

We made it to the gates, and as we had expected, the entrance we now open to us.

I looked over to Sora. "You ready?"

He nodded, a look of resolve gracing his features. "Yeah. You?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."

We walked down a hallway, which led us to the Entrance Hall. Once we entered, Beast said "Be on your guard. They're close, I can feel it."

"The Heartless?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Are you ready for them?"

Sora and I nodded, and walked forward.

"Huh?" Beast asked behind us.

I turned around just as he turned around. I could sense that something was here, but I couldn't pin point it out. Behind us, standing in the hallway, was a woman with brown curly hair, wearing a yellow dress. I recognized her from the dream Sora and I had, back when we were building the raft.

"Belle?" Beast asked, disbelieving.

As if to answer his question, this Belle turned into a Shadow Heartless. Beast let out a roar, and chased after it.

"Beast!" I called after him. But he ignored me. The doors to the Hall shut as he went after the Heartless.

Both Sora and I were looking after him, so we didn't notice anyone else join us.

"Quit while you can," Riku said behind us.

We turned to face him. "No," Sora said. "Not without Kairi."

"The darkness will destroy you." As he said this, Riku's outfit changed. He was now wearing a black and purple bodysuit, with purple boots, and the forearms and hands were red and blue. On his chest was the outline of a Heartless insignia. Around his waist was a beige cape.

At that moment, it wasn't Riku I saw. I saw another boy, who was wearing the exact same outfit, except it was in a different color scheme. Everything he was wearing was red and black, and he was wearing a mask. The insignia on his chest was different as well.

_Huh? _I wondered. _The masked boy? Why am I remembering him all of a sudden?_

"You're wrong, Riku," I said.

"The darkness may destroy our bodies, but it can't touch our hearts," Sora said. "Our hearts will stay with our friends. They'll never die!"

"Really?" Riku asked. "Hmph. We'll just see about that."

Riku shot a Dark attack at Sora. For some reason, Sora didn't move.

"Sora!" I exclaimed. "No!"

I ran in front of him, Destiny's Union in front of me to protect the both of us from Riku's attack.

_This time,_ I thought, _I'll protect you_.

The attack got closer and closer, but it wasn't me who protected us. It was Goofy.

"Sora and Pyn ain't gonna go anywhere!" Goofy exclaimed.

"You'd betray your King?" Riku asked.

"Not on your life. But I'm not gonna betray Sora and Pyn either, because they've become some of my best buds after all that we've been through together."

"Goofy," I said, lowering my Keyblade. I smiled, tears welling up.

"See ya later, Donald!" Goofy exclaimed. "Could ya tell the King I'm really sorry?"

"Hold on, Goofy!" Donald squawked. "We'll tell him together!"

Donald ran over to where we were standing. I smiled even more. "Donald," I breathed. A tear fell, and I quickly wiped it away.

"Well, you know," he said. "All for one and one for all."

I nodded. "Yeah."

"I guess you're stuck with us," Goofy said through a smile.

"Thanks a lot, Donald, Goofy," Sora said. He was looking down at his feet.

Donald, Goofy, and I walked over to Sora, each of us giving him a reassuring pat on the back. I put my hand on his shoulder, and looked at him. He looked at me, and I nodded.

"How will you fight without a weapon?" Riku asked from across the room.

"I know now I don't need the Keyblade. I've got a better weapon. My heart."

"Your heart?" Riku scoffed. "What good will that weak little thing do for you?"

"My heart may be weak, but it's not alone. It's grown with each new experience, and it's found a home with all of the friends I've made. I've become a part of their heart just as they've become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then…if they don't forget me…then our hearts will be one."

He paused, giving it time to sink in. He readied his wooden sword, and continued. "I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!"

As everyone else readied for the fight ahead, that's when it happened. The miracle. The Kingdom Key disappeared out of Riku's hand and into Sora's, its allegiance being won over.

Riku didn't seem to believe that it had happened. I could barely believe it myself.

Then the fight between us started. Riku was the first to attack. Thankfully, Sora and I had been sword fighting with Riku since we were kids, so it wasn't too hard to fight him. He was stronger, though, and had also learned some new tricks. There were plenty of times when he used some Dark attacks, but with Donald and Goofy's help, we were able to fight him off.

And I didn't hold back what I had to say to Riku.

"What's gotten into you?" I asked as I swung at him. "You've changed, Riku, and I don't like it!"

Riku retaliated by shooting a Dark fireball at me, which I quickly dodged. "Hmph, like I have to answer you. If you ask me, you're the one who's changed."

I charged at him, and landed quite a blow. "I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't changed. I want the same thing that I've always wanted: my friends to be by my side when I travelled to the different worlds."

Riku was knocked back, right into one of Donald's Fira spells. He recovered quickly, and charged at me. "But who was the one who kept their true identity secret? Who was it that kept telling us they'd never seen other worlds, or didn't remember where they were from? All of this is your fault."

What Riku said pushed me over the edge. I bared a tighter grip on Destiny's Union and closed my eyes, feeling the light within me build up. A faint outline of light shown around me. I opened my eyes, and then charged at him, light bursting from me as our weapons made contact. Each hit sent a ribbon of light shooting towards Riku.

As I swung, I said, in a very angry tone, "I didn't know about who I was! I didn't remember anything about the different worlds until after the attack on the island! I still don't know where I'm really from, so it's not my fault!" With that last statement, I formed a small ball of light in my free hand, gradually letting it get bigger until I shot it at Riku, knocking back several feet away from us. The fight was over.

I was huffing and puffing. So was Riku. His clothes reverted back to their original form, and he ran out of the room. I wanted to stop him, but I didn't have the strength to move.

I heard doors open and close behind me, telling me that Beast had join us. I could hear his gruff voice as he spoke. "So, your hearts won this battle?" he asked.

Sora nodded.

I couldn't stand anymore. I finally collapsed, landing on my knees.

"Pyn!" Donald and Goofy shouted.

This drew Sora and Beast's attention. Sora was by my side in a matter of seconds.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," I managed to say. "That attack just…really drained me."

"Can you get up?"

"I'm not sure. I…think so."

"Ya gotta try," Goofy said.

I did exactly that. I slowly got up, using Destiny's Union to hold me up. When I was on my own two feet, I banished my Keyblade, and took a couple of steps. I swayed a lot more than I would have liked. Thankfully, Sora was there to keep me from falling over.

"I guess not."

"Here," Sora said. "Let me help you."

He put one of my arms around him and put his arm around my waist, allowing me to lean against him. I felt my other arm go around someone else, and their arm was around my waist as well. I turned my head and saw that Goofy decided to help, too.

I smiled. "Thanks, guys."

"We've got you," Sora said. "Don't worry." He turned to face Donald. "Donald?"

"I gotcha covered," Donald said, waving his staff in the air. "I'll heal you as we walk."

I nodded. "Thanks, Donald."

"I know where to go," Beast said.

"Lead the way," Sora said.

With Beast leading the way, we headed up the stairs and down a small hallway, which led us through a door with a Heartless insignia on it. With Sora and Goofy's help, we walked right behind Beast, with Donald covering us from behind, casting Cura to help me out and keeping his eye out in case any Heartless decided to show up.

_I guess…maybe I'm alright. _I thought. _Maybe, I can manage without Terra and Ven. I've got friends with me now that are willing to put up with me and help me out. Ones that seem to be okay with who I am._

I looked up at Sora, who looked right back at me and gave me an ear-to-ear grin. I smiled right back. But something caught my eye as he turned away, something that made me think that I was losing it. The moment Sora looked away, I saw a boy with blonde, wind-swept hair wearing a white and black shirt with khaki shorts and some armor. The boy looked at me and smiled.

_Ven?_

xxx

"Any better?" Donald asked me as we got to an upper level of the Lift Shop.

"Yeah," I said. "Much better."

I was already walking by myself by the time we got to the second level of the Lift Shop, but having the extra help was nice. I said "Thanks, Donald," and handed him an Ether. He definitely deserved it.

"You're welcome," he said, using the item to his advantage.

"I think I've got enough energy to fight some Heartless myself."

"Just don't do any more of those attacks, okay?" Sora said.

I giggled. "Okay, I'll try my best."

"Where'd you learn those anyway?"

I thought about it, and then shrugged. "Don't know. Maybe it has to do with me being a Princess of Heart and a Keyblade Wielder at the same time."

"Hmmm. Who knows?"

"Maybe Maleficent does."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked pretty shocked at what I said. I kept moving, activating yet another switch to bring down another platform. "Let's keep going. Beast, lead the way."

As we walked onto the platform and headed up and out of the castle, Sora asked "Why would you ask Maleficent?"

"She obviously knows something about me that I don't. I was little at the time, but when she was explaining to me about how I was one of the Princesses and what their significance was, I knew she didn't know that on her own. She's got to be working with someone else—someone else who knows about the other worlds…who knows about the Princesses of Heart."

We were now at the very top of the castle, and entering the uppermost level of the Lift Shop. We got off the lift and on to level ground, and continued following Beast.

Sora looked really thoughtful. "So, you think that whoever Maleficent might be working with might know more about you and could tell you about what you're forgetting?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I know it probably sounds confusing, but that's what I think anyway."

"Okay. Well, let's find Maleficent and ask her."

"And take her down!" Donald added.

"Don't forget," Goofy said. "She's still a bad guy."

"Trust me," I said. "I won't be forgetting anytime soon."

We continued to follow Beast out of the Lift Shop and into an area known as High Tower. I didn't need to ask why they called it that—I figured it was self-explanatory.

We climbed onto some large stone steps and onto a balcony of sorts. At the very end, next to a wall, was a doorway.

"Where's this lead to?" I asked.

"The castle chapel," Beast said. "This has to be where that witch is."

"How come you say that?" Sora asked.

"There are no other rooms beyond the chapel. This is as far as the castle extends to."

"Gotcha," Sora and I said in unison.

One by one, we ran into the chapel, ready for whatever Maleficent might throw at us. And it was none other than Maleficent who was waiting for us.

"I'm afraid you're too late," Maleficent announced to us. "Any moment now, the final Keyhole will be unsealed. This world will be plunged into darkness. It is unstoppable."

"We'll stop it!" Sora yelled, summoning the Kingdom Key. "After coming this far, there's no way we're gonna let that happen!"

I did the same. "You've done enough damage to this world already," I said.

"You poor, simple fools," the witch said. "You think you and a Princess of Heart can defeat me? Me, the Mistress of All Evil?"

In a blast of green and black flame, Maleficent caused part of the floor beneath her to rise up. She called forth two Defenders and sent them to attack us. Sora made to attack the witch, but I stopped him.

"Let me handle her, Sora. This is personal."

"But—" he tried to argue.

"If I think I'll need help, then I'll call. But for now, I can handle whatever that witch throws at me."

With that, I jumped onto the platform, and began to attack Maleficent. I usually never hold a grudge, but I felt that I held this one in for way too long—for ten years, as a matter of fact.

"Hmph," Maleficent mumbled. "You think a Princess had enough strength to defeat me?"

"Seemed to work on all of your lackeys," I countered.

She shot lightning in my direction, but I blocked it using Destiny's Union. I began to attack her again, my Keyblade making contact with her staff once in a while.

"How does it feel to know that your friends abandoned you? That they could no longer bare you as a burden?"

"They didn't abandon me!" _I've got her talking_, I thought. _Although I'm not necessarily liking what I'm hearing._

"Oh? Then why aren't they here, child? Oh, but of course, you don't know."

We locked weapons with each other. "Know what?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"They're gone. No longer in the Realm of Light. One, lost to the darkness. Another to the Realm of Darkness. And the other, lost completely." As she told me this, her face got closer to mine, as if she was trying to make it sink in faster.

"Y-you're lying!" I exclaimed.

"If I was, they would be here, now wouldn't they? You know this to be true."

"NO!"

I lifted my Keyblade up, and swung it at Maleficent. As I did, the witch blocked it and, using her dark magic, she caused the platform to go haywire, sending me flying. I landed on something kinda soft. Opening my eyes, I realized that Beast had caught me. He put me down.

"Thanks, Beast," I said.

Maleficent sent a Defender our way, but we quickly dispatched it. Sora ran over, handing me a Potion.

I chugged it down as fast as I could. "Thanks."

"I don't think this is gonna be your fight anymore," he said.

"Nope, let's get her. Together."

"Everyone on three. One."

"Two," Donald said.

"THREE!" Goofy shouted.

Everyone ran after Maleficent. We jumped onto the platform and began attacking her directly. She couldn't even put up a fight.

_She's too weak to_, I thought. _She can't fend for herself, especially with no Heartless nearby to defend her._

We easily finished her off, ending the battle. But I knew it wasn't over.

The five of us jumped off of the platform, which slowly began to lower back into the ground. Maleficent, who was still alive, was hunched over, clutching her chest and huffing and puffing. We had managed to make her really weak.

Realizing she had lost this fight, Maleficent backed away, summoning a portal of some kind, and disappeared. The portal was still there when she did.

"This isn't over," Sora said.

"You're right," Beast agreed.

"She must still have some fight left in her or somethin'," Goofy observed.

"Then let's end this," I said.

We walked through the portal, joining Maleficent in a hidden room. Accompanying the witch was none other than Riku. He was dressed in the same "Heartless" uniform as he was earlier when we were fighting him. But there was something different about him. He didn't seem like…Riku.

"Riku!" I exclaimed.

Riku turned to face us. In his hand was very familiar looking weapon.

"Is that a—?" Donald began asking.

"Yes," Riku said. His voice had been drastically altered, to the point where it sounded like Riku and another person were talking at the same time. "But unlike yours, this Keyblade holds the power to unlock people's hearts. Allow me to demonstrate."

In an instant, Riku trust his Keyblade into Maleficent, right where her heart should be.

"Behold!"

"Wha—" Maleficent barely muttered.

"Now, open your heart," Riku said. "Surrender it to the darkness! Become darkness itself!"

As he withdrew the Keyblade from the witch's chest, he disappeared through a portal.

Maleficent began to glow a green color.

"This is it!" she exclaimed. "This power! Darkness…the true darkness!"

Maleficent was engulfed by a burst of green and black flames. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Beast, and I readied ourselves for whatever was coming. I automatically sent up a group Cura, making sure everyone was in good shape. I felt the effects immediately. Tinker Bell peeked out of her hiding spot in my hair and, deciding to join the battle, flew out of it and around the five of us.

As the flames died down, we noticed that, instead of the witch herself, a dragon had taken Maleficent's spot.

_This is gonna be a long battle_, I thought to myself.

* * *

><p>AN: I know, huge cliffhanger, but I think it was actually a good place to stop. Kinda. Anywho, let me know what you think. Your reviews make my day!


	24. Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness

Author's Note: So…please, don't kill me. I know I said that I was going to try and get this posted by the time KH3D was released, but that obviously didn't happen. I got a little bit too excited about its release and…well…you can imagine what happened after that. So please don't be mad at me.

*someone throws a Keyblade, and I dodge it*

Okay, you're mad. But that's no reason to use the Strike Raid ability on me thank you very much! I also got caught up with school and my other story that took off with more success than I thought!

Anyway, here is the next chapter. It's pretty long (15 pages long, to be exact). Hopefully that makes up for the fact that this took FOREVER to be posted. I'll admit, it was hard to write. You'll see why. Trust me. This is the second to last chapter guys! _Re: Kingdom Hearts_ is almost at an end. I do plan on doing a sequel, you can count on that. But this next story will be…interesting to say the least. If you are anxious to know what I mean, feel free to PM me, as I will not be willing to discuss it over reviews. It's too exciting for me to do that, and it's a bit of a surprise!

Thank you to all of you who have left reviews and have favorited/subscribed/alerted this story. It means a lot to me!

I hope you guys enjoy! Again, second to last chapter T-T

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It belongs to SQUARE-ENIX and Disney. I wouldn't be writing this if I did.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Three: Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness<strong>

Green and black flames flickered in front of us, blocking us from the dragon. Through them, I could see smoke coming from the beast's nostrils.

"Oh dear," I said.

"Any plan of attack?" Sora asked.

"Uh...working on it."

The entire room we were in was covered in thorns. If we backed away from the flames, we would be poked, prodded, and skewered.

The flames were dying down, and I knew at any moment, the dragon would attack us again. The only opening I could find was...

"The head!"

"Huh?" Sora gave me a puzzled look.

"If we attack the dragon's head, that should bring it down, and cut its fire attacks short."

"Oh," Goofy said. "I get it!"

"Do you?" Donald asked.

"Yeah! When it comes to giant enemies, you aim for the head!"

"Where'd you learn that?"

"Guys!" I shouted. "We don't have time for this! Big dragon in front of us?"

Donald and Goofy nodded. "Right," they said in unison.

"How are we gonna do this?" Sora asked as the dragon shot more fire at us.

"You, Donald, and Goofy are gonna attack from the front," I said. "And Beast and I will attack from the back."

"You're gonna attack the head from the back?"

"Yep!" I answered with a smirk.

At that moment, Tinker Bell quickly turned to me, pointing towards herself.

I nodded. "You're with me, Tink."

With that, Beast, Tinker Bell, and I ran off to get behind the dragon. We avoided the flames as much as possible, but Beast's cape still managed to catch fire. When we were clear, I step on his cape to keep it from burning to a crisp, and we were behind the giant beast.

We had to avoid the monster's sudden spin attack, which wasn't easy, but we managed. I ran up to its side, with Beast and Tinker Bell following close behind. Turning to Beast, I asked, "Will you give me a boost?"

Beast nodded and clasped his hands (or paws?) so that I could use it as a footstool. I put a foot on his hands, and he pushed with all his strength. I was sent flying in the air, and landed as gracefully as I could onto the dragon's back. I ran as fast as I could towards its head.

The dragon must have noticed something was on its back, because it started wriggling, causing me to lose my footing.

"Pyn!" I heard Sora shout.

As I was falling, I managed to grab a hold of the dragon's neck. It didn't like that very much either, so it began to buck, ignoring its enemies on the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sora and the gang move out of the dragon's stomps, hiding behind a patch of thorns.

_Whew_, I thought.

All of a sudden, I felt lighter. I looked and noticed that I had been thrown into the air. I nearly touched the ceiling.

_Oh gosh_, I thought.

I looked down, and noticed that I had a pretty clear shot to the dragon's head. I was now falling down towards the beast.

Time seemed to slow as I got closer to the creature. I knew what I had to do, but I wasn't so sure that I could do it. All of a sudden, I remembered something someone had told me long ago.

_I followed Master Eraqus into the main room of the castle. He had pulled out his Keyblade, and then turned to me._

_"Summon your Keyblade, Pyn," he said._

_I did as he told me. I held my hand out and, with all my heart, I willed my Keyblade to come forth. Destiny's Union appeared in my hand in a matter of seconds. I looked up at Master Eraqus, a smile on my face._

_Master Eraqus smiled and nodded. "Impressive. It is very rare that a Keyblade Wielder's weapon form at such an early age. Especially for someone like you."_

_"Someone like me?" I asked._

_"Yes. You see, you are special, Pyn. It is not known for a Princess to be able to wield a Keyblade."_

_I just merely nodded, despite that fact that I wasn't sure what he meant._

_"Now, there is something I want to show you, an attack that will help in future. Here is your given situation."_

_He paused, summoning a giant orb of light._

_"This is your enemy. It has thrown you into the air at a great height, and you are now falling at a great speed." He looked down at me and smiled. "Watch closely at what I do."_

_With that, Master Eraqus jumped into the air as high as he could manage without hitting the ceiling. As he fell, he waved his hand over his Keyblade, which began to glow. He got closer to the orb and quickly flipped. He brought his Keyblade down on the orb, causing a wave of light to emit from his weapon as it made contact with his "enemy". The orb disappeared, and Master Eraqus landed gracefully on his feet._

_"Wow!" I exclaimed. "I wanna try!"_

_Master Eraqus smiled. "Alright. I will give you a boost. Don't forget to think about light, and you should be able to pull off this attack."_

_He summoned another giant orb, and then picked me up and threw me into the air. I was thrown pretty far up. I looked down, and gulped. I was really high in the air._

Think light_, I thought. _Think light!

_I waved my hand over the Keyblade, but nothing happened. I got closer and closer to the orb, and I wasn't able to flip around. Master Eraqus must have noticed that I could quite get it, because he jumped up and caught me. He caught me just before I got to the orb._

_My Keyblade banished itself, and I clung to Master Eraqus as tightly as I could._

_"It's alright," he said. "You're okay."_

_"That was a little scary," I said timidly._

_"As far as I saw, you did well. I didn't expect you to get it the first time, but with practice, I'm sure you'll be able to land that attack."_

_"You really think so?" I asked, excited once again._

_He nodded. "I do. Now let's get you some lunch."_

_He carried me out of the room, towards the kitchens._

_"Love you, daddy."_

_"I love you, too."_

I didn't understand what he had meant. I was so young. I fought back the tears threatening to stream down my cheeks. A smile formed on my lips.

_I'll make you proud_, I thought.

I waved my hand over Destiny's Union, which began to glow. I got closer to the dragon. Knowing that, I flipped quickly and brought my Keyblade down on the dragon's head. A giant wave of light rushed through the room, filling the entire room with light. As I landed the attack, I flipped again, and landed on the floor with ease, landing gracefully flat on my feet. I turned around and watched as the dragon writhed in pain, ultimately disappearing. The only thing left suggesting it was here was a puddle of black liquid.

Sora and the gang came out of their hiding spot and joined me. Beast and Tinker Bell did as well.

"What was that?" Sora asked.

I answered without looking at him. "Something someone taught me long ago."

"Wow! Could you teach me how to do that?"

I shook my head, and smiled. "Sorry, no can do."

"Aw!"

I turned and noticed that Goofy wanted to ask something, but we were cut off by the arrival of Riku.

"How ironic," he said, in his two-toned voice. "She was just another puppet after all."

"What?" Donald asked.

"The Heartless were using Maleficent from the beginning. She failed to see the darkness eating away at her heart. A fitting end for such a fool." With that, Riku disappeared, leaving us to ponder what he meant.

Sora folded his arms across his chest in thought. I looked toward the others, wondering what they were thinking right now. I looked forward, and noticed that the portal Maleficent conjured earlier appeared once again.

"We better keep going," I said.

Beast nodded in agreement. "We still have to find Belle."

I nodded. "Right."

"And Riku and Kairi," Sora chimed in.

He walked past me, with Donald and Goofy trailing behind him, and walked through the portal into the chapel. Beast and Tinker Bell quickly followed behind. I stayed behind.

I looked around the room, and then walked toward the portal. I smiled as I did, a single tear trailing down my cheek.

xxx

"Where to next?" Sora asked.

"Hmm. Not sure," I answered as soon as I entered the chapel.

As if to answer Sora's question, a part of the wall disappeared, showing us another path.

"Oh!" Sora exclaimed.

"Guess we go that way," Goofy said.

"Off we go, then," Donald said.

We ran for the new opening, which led to another part of the Lift Shop. We passed through, thankfully, without meeting any Heartless. This seemed strange to me.

_The calm before the storm, perhaps?_I wondered.

We went through another doorway, which led us to a large, highly decorated door. I could barely make out a sign on the wall next to the door. It read "Great Hall".

"Think this is where Riku's hiding?" I asked.

"It's gotta be," Sora said.

As we got closer to the door, it rose up on its own, allowing us entrance into the next room, and we walked right in.

The room was different than all of the other rooms we had seen. It was the largest room in the castle, aside from the library. The rug covering the floor was black and red with the Heartless insignia on it. A large stair case led to another landing, which had two other staircases on either side of a second landing. On the second landing, I could see a heart-shaped doorway, beams of light crossing it as if to seal it away.

Along the walls of the lower level of the room, I could make out six containers, three on each side, with people inside each. I walked to the wall on my left to get a closer look, and found that the three people being contained were women. Three women I knew from a distant past.

"Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora," I muttered. I looked at each woman as I said their names. "I promise, we'll get you out of there. I promise."

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned and noticed Sora standing next to me.

I gave him a small smile, and looked towards the three Princesses. "This could have been me," I said.

"But it's not," Sora said. "You ended up on the islands with us, and you're fighting to help protect them. We'll get them out. Don't worry!"

I nodded. "You always seem to know what to say to make me feel better."

Sora gave me one of his signature goofy grins. "I try!"

I giggled. I walked away and towards the other wall where Beast was standing. I looked to where he was looking. He was staring at a girl with brown curly hair, wearing a gorgeous yellow gown.

"Is that Belle?" I asked.

He turned to me and nodded. He put his hand on the glass encasing Belle in the container, longing to be close to her.

I put a reassuring hand on his arm (since he was quite taller than me, I couldn't reach his shoulder) and said, "Don't worry, Beast. I promise we'll get Belle out of there."

He turned his head to me, making eye contact. I smiled and nodded. He smiled back.

"Thank you," he said.

I smiled again. I walked away so that he could be alone and went over to Sora and the others.

"Let's go," I said.

We ran up the main staircase and then up the staircase on our left. We made it to the second landing when I heard a thud behind us. Donald and I turned to see that a barrier kept Goofy from coming onto the second landing. He ran into it, causing him to fall to the floor.

"Goofy!" I exclaimed.

"Kairi!" I heard Sora call from behind me.

I turned around to face him. That's when I saw just a few feet from us, lying on the floor, was Kairi's still form. Sora ran to her side and picked her head up. I ran up to them and kneeled next to them on the other side of Kairi. Donald stood behind me.

"Kairi! Kairi!" he called, shaking her a little bit. "Open your eyes!"

"Kairi?" I asked in a whisper.

"It's no use," a voice above us called out.

We looked up toward the voice. There, sitting on a ledge above the incomplete Keyhole, was none other than Riku.

"That girl has lost her heart," Riku said. "She cannot wake up."

_So it's true_, I thought, looking back at Kairi.

Sora gently put her head back on the ground. He stood up, and looked back toward Riku. "What?" he asked. "You—you're not Riku."

My head shot up. _What?_ I wondered. I looked up at the figure sitting above us. _That...is Riku. Right?_

"The Keyhole cannot be completed so long as the last Princess of Heart still sleeps." As he said this, his slid off of the ledge and gently floated down and landed in front of the incomplete Keyhole.

"The princess..." Sora trailed off and then looked at Kairi. I could see the wheels in his head turning and then clicking. He looked back towards "Riku" and asked, "Kairi's a Princess?"

_Of course_, I thought. _That makes so much sense_.

"Yes, and without her power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened."

I stood up and looked at him. "Whoever you are, let Riku go!" I demanded. "Give him back his heart!"

"But first, Sora must give the Princess back her heart." As "Riku" said this, he slashed his Keyblade in the air. This caused Sora to grab his chest and fall to his knees.

"Sora!" Donald and I shouted in unison.

"What's...?" Sora began to ask.

"Don't you see yet?" "Riku" asked. "The Princess' heart is responding. It has been there along. Kairi's heart rests within you!"

"Kai...Kairi's inside me?"

_Is that why she hasn't disappeared?  
><em>  
>"I know all that there is to know."<p>

"Then tell us," I said. "Who are you?"

"It is I, Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness."

_Ansem?_ I wondered. Then it dawned on me. _The author of those reports!_

Riku-Ansem began walking towards Sora. Donald charged at him, but he blocked the magician's attack, sending him flying past the barrier and trapping him on the other side.

I stood in front of Sora with my arms out in a protective stance. "Riku, stop! I know you're in there. Please...stop!" I called out. But my calls didn't seem to work. Riku-Ansem smirked and launched a dark attack at me. It sent me flying and the next thing I knew, I was trapped in a glass container, just like the other Princesses.

I pounded on the glass, and shouted, "Let me out!"

From the angle I was trapped in, I could see everything that was going on. I saw Riku-Ansem lower his Keyblade at Sora. I couldn't make out what they were saying, courtesy of the glass, I could only watch. Ansem raised his Keyblade and was bringing it down toward Sora's kneeling form.

"SORA!" I shouted.

As if he could really hear me, Sora quickly blocked the attack using Kingdom Key. I smiled, knowing that he was safe for the moment. Then my smile vanished as I watched the two battle each other.

I heard something ring in my ears. I turned as much as I could and saw that Tinker Bell was trapped with me. She was watching the battle, too.

"We've got to get down there," I told her.

The sounds of bells emanated from her small form as if in agreement. I summoned Destiny's Union, and with the hilt of the weapon, and began to beat it against the glass. After some time, the glass began to crack. I could hear bells of excitement ringing in my ear.

"I know, but we're not free yet," I said, only guessing what she could have said.

Five more really good hits with the hilt and the glass came crashing down. Thankfully, I got away with only a small cut on my arm.

"Ah!" I gasped.

I walked out of the container, Tink flying out right behind me. I walked to the edge of the ledge my prison to watch the battle. Riku-Ansem cast a dark attack at Sora, knocking him back a couple of feet.

"Hold on, Sora!" I called out. "I'll find a way to help out!"

I jumped down from the ledge, landing surprisingly gracefully on the ground. I ran up the left staircase and to Goofy's side. He was still lying on the floor.

"Goofy!" I knelt down and shook him, hoping he would wake up. And he did.

"Gawrsh, that hurt!" he exclaimed.

I giggled and then gave him a hug. "Come on, we've got to get Donald!"

I helped him up and we ran for the other staircase. When we got to Donald, I immediately cast Cura to heal the three of us. Donald must have felt the effects, because he shot up and started to jump up and down, his fists in front of him as if he was ready to get in a fist-fight.

"I'll show ya!" he exclaimed.

"Donald! Calm down!"

"Do ya think Sora's alright?" Goofy asked me.

I looked back towards the battle taking place. Sora seemed to be holding his own pretty well, now that he had his bearings.

"He seems to be," I said. I reached forward to see if the barrier was still up and, to my dismay, it was. "I just wish that we could help him."

"Maybe we can," Goofy mused.

"How?" I asked, looking down.

"Cura!" Donald shouted.

I looked up in time to see a green glow envelope Sora. I noticed that he seemed confused and that when I realized what we could do.

"I get it. Don't worry, Sora! We've gotcha covered!"

Sora looked at me and smiled, and then continued fighting off Riku-Ansem.

As the battle drew on, Donald and I cast Cure and Cura to keep Sora from being knocked out. I started to feel very weak from casting spells, so I handed Donald an Ether, taking one for myself. It was a good thing, too, because Riku-Ansem pulled off an attack that nearly drained Sora. He rose from the ground and, with his Keyblade raised in above him, darted back and forth, hitting Sora from all angles. He ended the attack by diving and thrusting his blade into the ground, sending a shock wave of dark lightning. Thankfully, Sora was able to dodge out of the way of one of the shots of lightning. But he still sustained heavy damage.

"Sora, be careful!" I called out. "Cura!"

"I'm trying!" I heard him shout.

I couldn't bear to watch my friend get hurt. I couldn't bear to watch and not be able to do anything. Not knowing what else to do, I summoned Destiny's Union and began beating it against the barrier.

"Pyn!" Goofy exclaimed.

"That's not helping Sora!" Donald squawked.

"I'm not just gonna stand by and watch him get hurt," I said, my voice starting to break, the memory of Master Xehanort driving his Keyblade into an unguarded, unsuspecting Master Eraqus coming back to me. "I've lost someone like that once, and I'm not going to let that happen again."

"Pyn..." both Donald and Goofy trailed off.

I kept going. I was so mad, so upset that I couldn't stop. After a few minutes, I felt my Keyblade go through the barrier. I looked up, noticing that the barrier was gone. Sora and Riku-Ansem were still fighting. I smirked, and charged towards them. Riku-Ansem rose up again to do another body-crushing attack, but I intervened by jumping up and shoving myself into him, knocking him to the ground.

"Now, I don't think that's fair, do you?" I asked.

"Pyn!" Sora exclaimed.

"Let's even the odds, shall we?"

Sora nodded, and we both took a fighting stance, facing Riku-Ansem. He had gotten up and was now facing us.

"Hmph, you really expect a Princess of Heart to stand a chance against me?" he asked.

"Oi! That's getting old, ya know!" I snapped. "I'm tired of you treating me like I'm some sort of weakling!"

"Really? But who was it that was unable to do anything, failed to do anything to save their master from meeting his demise?"

"What?" Sora asked. He looked from Riku-Ansem to me.

"How…how do you know about that?" I asked, frustration and bewilderment apparent in my tone.

"Hmph, like I would tell the likes of you."

"Alright, that does it!" I charged at him with full force. I got a couple of good hits in when he jumped out of the way, dodging my next set of attacks.

Sora took the opportunity to attack as he landed behind me. He was able to put in a good combo before Riku-Ansem rose from the ground with his Keyblade raised above his head.

"Oh no you don't!" I shouted. I jumped into the air as high as I could, and performed the same attack Master Eraqus taught me. I pulled it off with relative ease, and without feeling like the attack drained me.

As Destiny's Union made contact with our enemy, a huge wave of light surged forward, filling the entire hall with a bright light. I could hear Riku-Ansem's grunts of pain. As I landed on my feet, the light diminished, revealing that Riku-Ansem was gone. The battle was over.

Sora and I took deep breaths, looked at each other, and laughed at our victory.

"You always seem to manage to steal the show," he teased.

"Do not!" I argued, knowing very well that he was right. I wasn't trying to.

"You do, and you know it!"

I sighed. "It looked like you needed help. And I wasn't going to sit by and watch you get hurt."

Sora smiled. "Thanks, Pyn." He looked around, most likely for our missing friend. "Riku…"

"Sora!" Donald called out. "Pyn, look!"

"The…the Keyhole!" Goofy exclaimed.

Out of habit, Sora raised his Keyblade to try and lock the Keyhole. But nothing happened.

"It won't work!" I said. "The Keyhole's not finished yet."

"What can we do?" Sora asked.

"Maybe we've gotta go wake Kairi up," Goofy suggested.

"I think you're right. If we can free her heart…but…but how?" Sora turned around, looking for an answer. I noticed him look down at the ground. Riku-Ansem's Keyblade lay on the ground. "A Keyblade that unlocks people's hearts…I wonder."

He walked away from the Keyhole and over to the dark Keyblade, and picked it up off the ground.

"Sora?" Goofy asked.

Sora examined the black and red blade with curiosity. I knew that look on his face too well. "Sora, hold on!" I cried out.

Donald caught wind of what I was talking about. "No, wait!" he squawked.

Sora turned to the three of us and smiled his same goofy grin. He turned the blade to where the end was pointed at his heart, and thrust the blade in.

"Sora, no!" I shouted.

The dark Keyblade disappeared, turning into six different small orbs of light. I could feel this warmth in my chest, and watched as the orbs floated down to the lower level of the hall.

_Those are the Princesses' hearts_, I thought. _That's what that Keyblade was made of?_

Sora's form was glowing as his heart left his body. As I watched in horror and sadness, I saw another leave his body and head straight for Kairi, who immediately woke up as her heart entered her body. I ran to Sora, hoping to get to him before he was gone. Donald had the same idea.

"Sora!" he called out. "Sora!"

"Sora!" I cried out.

Kairi had gotten up, and noticed Sora falling. "Sora!" she cried out, and ran to catch him. Neither of us did, though, for he disappeared in our hands.

"Sora! Come back, Sora!" Donald squawked.

I shook my head, not believing what had happened. "No…not again," I mumbled.

Kairi looked at me, and then toward the ground, putting a hand over her heart. "Sora, are you really…?" she half muttered, half whispered. She held her hand over her heart tighter. "No. It can't be! I won't let him go!"

I nodded. "Neither will I!"

"Pyn!" I heard Goofy shout.

I turned to see what had suddenly alarmed him. I noticed both him and Donald had their weapons drawn. I looked in the direction they were looking. I became alarmed as well, and summoned Destiny's Union to my side.

Standing in front of us, dressed in a black and gray coat, white vest, black pants and boots, and white gloves, with tanned skin, yellow eyes, and long white hair, was none other than Ansem himself.

I couldn't help but gasp at his presence. _He looks strangely familiar_.

"So, you've awakened at last, Princess," Ansem said in a deep voice that chilled me to the bone. "The Keyhole is now complete. You have served your purpose. But now it's over."

"Don't make another move!" Donald warned him.

"Do you think we can stop him all by ourselves?" Goofy asked.

"I don't know."

Ansem began to walk forward. As he did, I felt a wave of pain in my pain. I dropped my weapon, which disappeared immediately, and grabbed a hold of my head.

"Ah!" I gasped.

"Pyn!" Donald, Goofy, and Kairi cried.

Kairi ran to my side, trying to help me up. As she did, I looked right at Ansem, never letting go of my head.

Something was happening to him. As he walked, he stopped midstep and grabbed a hold of where his heart would be. The next thing I know, a glowing image of Riku appears.

"Impossible…" Ansem muttered.

"No," Riku said. "You won't use me for this!"

"Riku!" Kairi cried out.

"You've got to run!" he urged. "The Heartless are coming!"

As I was being dragged away, something happened. Not only did the pain in my head get worse, but as I looked at Ansem, I could have sworn that I saw two different people. One of those people was most definitely not Riku.

It was like looking at a split image. On one side, I saw an old man with his arms folded behind his back. He didn't look too different from Ansem. I instantly recognized him.

_Master Xehanort?!_ I wondered. _How? Is that why Ansem looks so familiar?_

On the other side of the split image, I saw a youth with brown, spiky hair wearing a black shirt, khaki pants, gold and bronze armor, and red ribbons across his chest. I knew this youth as well.

_Terra?_

* * *

><p>AN: I know, another cliff hanger. Sorry guys, I didn't mean for it to happen! I hope you enjoyed it though! The next one will be up soon, hopefully. So, please review, and NO FLAMES! Though if don't leave one, I would totally understand.


	25. Beyond the Door

Author's Note: Well guys, this is it. The final chapter of _Re: Kingdom Hearts_. I want to thank each and every one of you who favorite/subscribed/alerted the story and those of you who left reviews. So thanks goes out to: **Azura Soul Reaver, Mysterygirl145, KHLegacy, Crystalmaiden62, AWSOMEFACEMUSICGAMER, grapjuice101, XesmeKH, asdf, Vee Bee, treatster, forevermagik13, and Pyon-chan**. Special thanks goes to **forevermagik13**for being my inspiration to even start a fanfic (well, her stories anyway. They're awesome!) and **KHLegacy** for being there from the very beginning.

I do plan on writing a sequel, but it's not what I had originally planned. If you're interested to know what I'm talking about, feel free to PM me and I'll let you in on the secret. Actually it's to help me figure out if it's such a good idea or not. Anywho, please let me know!

Without further ado, I give you the final chapter of _Re: Kingdom Hearts_. Sorry it took so long to get posted. Guess you could say that I wanted to postpone.

P.S. To answer Mystergirl145's questions: 1) _I don't want to go into too many details, but Pyn and Ven became really close when he first arrived. Since then, they had been best friends. I will definitely explain more of their relationship later on, because I do plan on developing that further when I make the sequel for this story._ 2) _Pyn knows who Vanitas is because she went with Aqua on her journey for the most part. As a Keyblade Master, Aqua had taken Pyn with her as her student, and took her as far as Neverland before dropping her off at Land of Departure._ I hope that answered your questions!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Kingdom Hearts. Never have, never will.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-Four: Beyond the Door<strong>

Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and I rushed out of the Great Hall as fast as we could. Whether Ansem was still near the Keyhole, or if he was following us, was beyond me. We simply ran.

"What about the Keyhole?" Goofy asked.

"Let's just get out of here!" Donald squawked.

We quickly got out of the Castle Chapel and back outside, making our way to the Lift Shop. The further we were from the chapel, the faster I could run.

We only rested when we were on an elevator, taking us down to the lower levels of the castle.

"Are you okay, Pyn?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah," I managed to say, feeling out of breath. "I'm fine. Headache's gone."

"What did he mean by 'failed to save their master from meeting his demise'?" Goofy asked.

I lowered my head, not really wanting to talk about it. I sighed, and told them anyway. "About ten years ago, my friend Terra got into a fight with our master, Eraqus, over our friend Ven for some reason. I watched the whole thing. Master Eraqus put up a barrier to protect me, so there wasn't much I could do. They fought and Master Eraqus became weak. The barrier came down after the battle, but I was too scared to move. Especially after what happened next."

"What happened?" I heard Jiminy ask from my shoulder. I hadn't even noticed him since after Sora disappeared.

"Another Keyblade Master struck Master Eraqus down from behind, while he wasn't looking. I ran as fast as I could. I didn't even…I was little at the time, and was so scared. I didn't really understand what was going on, or what I could have done to stop him. To save Master Eraqus…to save my f—"

I could no longer hold back the tears that were threating my eyes. As I cried, I felt a reassuring arm hug my neck. I turned and saw Kairi, a small, sad smile forming on her lips. Donald and Goofy exchanged worried looks. Until, of course, Donald had an epiphany of sorts.

"Wait!" he exclaimed. "Master Eraqus?"

I nodded.

"He was struck down by another Keyblade Master?" Goofy asked.

I winced. "That's what I just said."

Donald looked towards Goofy.

"Was his name Master Xehanort?"

I looked at them wide eyed. "Yeah, but…how do you know that?"

"We were there when we heard the news," Donald said. "The King's teacher, Master Yen Sid told one of Master Eraqus' students that he had been…well…you know."

"You were?"

"Yeah," Goofy said sadly. "The King had gone back to Yen Sid's place for more trainin' and we tagged along with him. While the King was out on a mission, he got hurt, and was brought back by Eraqus' student. That's when…"

"I see. So…you knew Master Eraqus?"

"Not personally. Just what Master Yen Sid had told us."

"He trained together," I muttered.

"Huh?" Donald asked.

"Nothing." Wanting to change the subject, or at least hoping it would go in a different direction, I quickly said, "That's what Ansem meant."

"I'm sorry, Pyn," Kairi said, giving me a soft smile.

"It's okay."

"Master Eraqus would be proud of you," Jiminy reassured.

Even Tink jingled her condolences.

"Thanks, Tink. Thank you, everyone." Looking up to Donald and Goofy, I asked, "Do you remember the student's name? The one that helped Mickey?"

"Let's see," Goofy said, folding his arms across his chest. "Her name was…uh…Agua..uh…Aquamarine…"

"Aqua!" Donald squawked.

The name did sound familiar. I closed my eyes, repeating it in my head. Images of the blue-haired young woman kept coming up, as if she were standing right in front of me. The last of my friends I remembered. The one friend who allowed me to accompany her on her journey to the different worlds. I finally remembered. I took a deep breath, and opened my eyes with a small smile spreading across my face.

"Aqua," I whispered.

xxx

the four of us, with the addition of Tinker Bell and Jiminy, quickly made our way to the Entrance Hall and down the stairs. Only Kairi hesitated on the landing of the staircase.

"Kairi, hurry!" Goofy urged.

"I can't leave them behind," she argued.

_She's right_, I thought. _What are we going to do about the other Princesses?_

"We can't stay here!" Donald called.

"A Heartless is after us!"

Kairi ran down the stairs to join us, and the three of us surrounded her to protect her. The Heartless that was following us ran down the stairs as well and up to the group.

"I'll take care of him!" Donald said.

"How do you know it's a he?" I asked. "For all we know, it could be a girl."

"Not now, Pyn!"

The Heartless got closer to the group. Donald tried to attack it, but only managed to clobber it on the head.

"Confounded Heartless!" he exclaimed in frustration. "Get lost, will ya?"

"Donald—?"

The Heartless moved its arms in a strange fashion. _Heh,_ I mused. _It acts just like Sora…Sora?_

My eyes went wide at that thought. As if she had read my mind, Kairi walked up to the Shadow and said, "Sora? Is that you?"

Just as she verbalized what we were thinking, a group of Shadow Heartless surrounded us.

"Uh-oh," Goofy said as he, Donald, and I took our battle stances. I took my place in front of Kairi.

"This time, I'll protect you," I heard Kairi say. I smiled.

Which disappeared in an instant. The group of Shadows jumped into the air, and before I realized it, landed on top of Kairi, who was holding on the Shadow that followed us.

"Kairi!" Goofy and I cried in unison.

Just then, a small light shone, eliminating all of the Shadows that were attacking Kairi. In the small Shadow's place, was Sora, pulling Kairi into a tight embrace.

"Kairi," he said. "Thank you."

She looked up at him. "Sora!"

I smiled and ran up to him, giving him a huge hug when he let go of Kairi.

"Wah!" he exclaimed.

"Sora! You're okay!" I cried out. Then I stood back and smacked him really hard across the back of the head.

"OW! What was that for?"

"That was for worrying us!" I explained, pointing an index finger at him. "We thought you were gone for good!"

He shrugged, giving me one of his signature goofy grins.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy exclaimed.

This brought everyone's attention to the group of Shadows that appeared. We all readied ourselves for a fight, but were interrupted by the sound a loud roar. We turned and saw that Beast had joined us. A couple of the Shadows must have noticed, too, because they were now attack him.

"Go! Now!" Beast growled.

"Come with us!" Sora called out.

"I told you before, I'm not leaving without Belle. Now, go! The Heartless are coming!"

"I think he's made up his mind, Sora," I said.

"Alright, let's get out of here."

Everyone headed for the doors leading to the front gates. Everyone except me. Sora seemed to notice my hesitation.

"Pyn, come on! We've gotta get out of here!" he called.

I shook my head. "No, you go on ahead. I'll stay here and help Beast."

"But—"

"You need to take care of Kairi and get her somewhere safe. Someone needs to make sure the Princesses stay safe."

"Pyn—"

"Go, now!"

Very reluctantly, Sora turned around and followed the others out of the castle. I turned around and summoned Destiny's Union.

"Okay, now it's time to clean house," I said to myself.

I heard bells ringing in my ear.

"I'm not sure what you said, but you can back me up in any way you can manage. That is what you're asking me right?"

Tinker Bell zipped in front of me, nodding her head vigorously.

"I'd appreciate it, then," I told her.

With that, she took off, and I began clearing out some of the Shadows, which seemed to multiply. By the time we had cleared four waves of Shadows, Darkballs and Wizards began to join the battle.

_Where are they coming from?_ I wondered.

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to rip Ansem's head off. I kept fighting though. _It's because of him that these things were appearing everywhere, out of nowhere. It's his fault that Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and I were in the situation we were in. It's his fault that…_

I interrupted my own thoughts when I realized that we had left him in the Great Hall, where the Princesses of Heart were.

_Oh no. The Princesses!_

I turned to Beast, who was fighting off a Defender. "Beast, do you think you can take it from here?" I asked. "I'm gonna go cover the upper levels."

He finished off the Defender quickly and turned to face me. He simply nodded. He must have realized that same thing that I did, because I could make out the worry in his eyes. I finished off the Wizard I was fighting and quickly ran up the stairs, Tinker Bell flying right behind me. I quickly got to the Lift Shop and took the only elevator I knew that would take me to the upper levels.

_Please let them be alright_, I prayed. _Please let them be safe._

xxx

I was huffing and puffing by the time I made it to the castle chapel. I sat there and took a breather for a moment. I had encountered countless Heartless on my way there, and half the time my way was blocked and I had no choice but to fight. Unfortunately for me, most of them were Defenders.

_I should have asked Beast to come with me_, I thought.

"Nothing I can do about it now," I said to no one in particular. I stood up straight and ran through the hallway that led to the Great Hall.

As I entered the Great Hall, I heard someone scream. I looked and saw that Snow White was being attacked by some Shadows.

"Ah! Snow White!"

I ran up to the Shadows and dispatched of them quickly. When they were gone, I extended a hand to Snow White to help her up. She took my hand, accepting my help. She looked at me and nodded her thanks. I smiled, but it was short lived. More Shadows, accompanied by some Darkballs and Wyverns, appeared, surrounding the both of us, along with the rest of the Princesses of Heart. I knew that they had to be protected.

"You guys have to get out of here!" I told them.

"But, Pyn," Alice interjected. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine. I'll hold them off as long as I can. That should be enough time for you to get to the castle chapel. Now, go!"

Alice looked as though she were about to argue back, but decided against it and instead followed the other Princesses to the chapel. I looked to the group of Heartless that were surrounding me.

"This seems just a little unfair doesn't it?" I asked them, knowing I really wasn't going to get an answer. Then I began to attack.

I was able to deal with the Shadows and Darkballs with relative ease. The Wyverns proved to be formidable opponents, and were more difficult to get rid of. As soon as the last one was gone, another wave of Heartless, this time consisting of Wizards and Large Bodies. I felt very tired, and cast Cura on myself to hopefully give myself some more energy. But I never got to battle them, because no sooner had they appeared, they disappeared. I looked around to see what had caused them flee, but I saw no one or anything that was responsible for their disappearance. Not until a voice disrupted me.

"So you stayed behind to accept your fate," a deep voice said.

I looked up towards where the Keyhole was, and saw Ansem floating above the landing.

"Ansem!" I shouted. "Let Riku go!"

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that. Not that I have to succumb to your whim."

"Why did you do this? You put your world, your people at risk! And for what?" I remembered all that I had learned from the reports he had written. He continued to study the heart even though he knew the risks. "All for the heart of the world?"

"Correct," Ansem said. "But not just the heart of one mere world. The heart of all worlds…Kingdom Hearts."

"What?" I was confused. I remembered what Master Eraqus had taught me about Kingdom Hearts, but why would Ansem want it? What would he want a door to true light?

"With Kingdom Hearts, all worlds will belong to me."

"WHAT!" I was shocked, angered, and upset. "You think Kingdom Hearts will allow you rule the worlds?! Well, you can think again. I'm gonna make sure that doesn't happen!"

Ansem only smirked. "You think that a mere Princess of Heart can stop me? You think a boy and the King's lapdogs can put an end to me? We will see. If you're foolish enough, you can find me in the world completely devoted to darkness." At that, Ansem raised his arms, summoning a cloud of darkness to envelope him. In a matter of seconds, he was gone, with a smile on his face.

_The world devoted to darkness?_ I wondered. _What does he mean by that?_

I turned around and, seeing how no Heartless appeared, I ran back to the chapel.

xxx

"Pyn! Are you alright?" a concerned Alice asked.

"I'm fine," was my answer. "Took care of those Heartless."

"What about Ansem?" Aurora asked.

"Gone. A cloud of darkness swallowed him up."

"I wonder where he has gone," Cinderella said.

"He said something about going to a world devoted to the darkness," I said. I felt a sudden rush of weakness, and immediately I faltered. Thankfully, Jasmine grabbed a hold of me before I fell to the floor.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concern dripping in her voice for her friend.

"Yeah," I replied. "I feel a bit funny, though."

"We all felt that way at first," Snow White said. "But now that were are all together, we can keep the darkness at bay."

"The darkness?"

"That's pouring out of the Keyhole. We can't hold it off for much longer," she explained.

"Oh. Guess that's one of the powers we have as Princesses of Heart, huh?"

Cinderella, Aurora, and Snow White nodded.

"Well, guess I might as well sit here and rest until Sora, Donald, and Goofy get back. Can't let you guys do it all by yourselves."

I nodded to Jasmine, and she let me sit down, staying near me in case I got dizzy again. Once I was sitting down, I looked around the room and to my fellow Princesses. There was one missing, minus Kairi.

"Where's Belle?" I asked.

"In the Library," was Aurora's answer. "She wanted to see if she could find any clues on how to get rid of the darkness."

"That makes sense, I suppose. I guess, besides this room, the Library is the safest part of the castle."

There was a murmur of agreement throughout the group.

"Well, guess nothing left to do but wait," I said, looking at each of them.

And wait we did.

xxx

I stirred and saw three faces staring down at me. I instantly recognized them as three of my closest friends.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy! You're here!" I cried out, getting up as fast as I could without getting a headache. I really didn't realize that I had fallen asleep in the first place. I looked at the three of them, and then with a playful pout, I added, "Took you long enough."

"Pyn, you're okay!" Sora exclaimed.

"We were worried about ya," Goofy pointed out.

"I'm fine, really."

"We've been waiting for you, Keyblade Master," Cinderella said.

"Where's Ansem?" Sora asked.

Cinderella and Aurora looked at each other. I merely shrugged.

"Gone."

"When the Keyhole appeared," Aurora began. "Darkness poured out of it. It swallowed Ansem, and he disappeared."

"Though Ansem is gone, the flood of darkness hasn't stopped. We're working together to hold it back," Cinderella pointed out.

"Yeah," I said. "And it's really wearing us out."

"Pyn…" Sora said.

"I'll never forget the look on his face. As the darkness engulfed him, he was smiling."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Only Jasmine broke our reverie.

"You have to hurry! Darkness is pouring out of the Keyhole."

Alice nodded. "It's all we can do just to hold back the darkness."

"I don't know how long we can manage even that," Snow White added.

"Alright," Sora said. "We're on our way."

"We're counting on you, Keyblade Masters. In the meantime, we'll do what we can, too."

I simply nodded, and followed Sora, Donald, and Goofy to the Great Hall.

We walked in silence, entering through the large door of the room and walking across the hall. The four of us, with Jiminy and Tinker Bell in tow, climbed the stairs and up to the now finished Keyhole.

"Guess we can close the Keyhole now, huh?" Goofy asked.

I shook my head. "I don't think it's that simple, Goofy."

The three of them looked at me as if I had lost my mind.

Jiminy hopped onto my shoulder. "What do you mean, Pyn?"

"I can still feel a lot of darkness seeping from the Keyhole. There something in there, trying to keep us from doing our job."

"Well," Sora began. "We'll just have to go in there and show it who's boss!"

I gave Sora a puzzled look. "Go through the Keyhole?"

He simply nodded. "We've gotta protect this world." With that, he turned and ran on through.

"Wait for us!" Donald called out. He ran after Sora, practically dragging Goofy with him.

I sighed and shook my head. "Boys. Always trying to be the hero," I said, and ran in there myself.

And quickly found out that I had been right. There was something keeping us from locking the Keyhole. A Behemoth Heartless.

"Geez!" Sora exclaimed as he summoned the Kingdom Key.

"Guess the Heartless really want the heart of this world," Goofy mused.

"Or they really just want to annoy us," I said.

"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Donald squawked.

We each summoned our weapons and began attacking the gigantic Heartless. It wasn't…difficult to defeat, but it was definitely not a one person job. It took all of our combined strength to bring to the ugly creature down. At first, we attacked it from all sides, Goofy and I attacking from behind while Sora and Donald attacked from the front. Eventually, we figured out that we had to attack the horn on its head to bring it down, but not without difficulty. But with a partially singed Donald, we managed to bring the beast down.

"Whew!" I exclaimed as I saw the Heartless disappear, a heart escaping as it did so. "Glad that's over!"

"Now let's go and seal that big Keyhole!" Goofy suggested.

"Yeah!"

"Sora, Pyn," a familiar voice said behind us. "You did it."

Sora and I turned to see who it was, but were only met with the swirling red, green, and black colors of the Dark Depths.

"Huh?" Sora wondered.

"Must have come from outside," I commented.

Sora nodded, and then walked toward the exit, with Donald, Goofy and I in tow. As we headed made it out, we found out the source of the voice.

"Leon!" I exclaimed.

"What are you guys doing here?" Sora asked.

"We came in Cid's ship," was Yuffie's answer. She was precariously perched on the railing.

"This is our childhood home," Aerith explained. "We wanted to see it again."

"Really?" I asked.

The three of them nodded. "It's in worse shape than I feared," Leon observed. "It used to be so peaceful."

"Don't worry," Aerith said. "If we defeat Ansem, all should be restored. Including your island."

"Really?" Sora asked.

"But," Yuffie interjected. "It also means good bye."

"Once the worlds are restored," Aerith explained. "They'll be separated again."

"Everyone will go back to where they came from."

_Go back to where they came from_, I thought. _Does that mean…I'll go back to where I came from? Will I finally get to go home?_

"Then I'll visit you guys with the Gummi Ship," Sora said.

"It's not that simple, Sora," I said.

He turned to me with a puzzled look on his face. "Huh?"

"Before all this, you didn't know about the other worlds, right?" Yuffie asked.

Sora looked at her and nodded.

"Because every world was isolated," Aerith said. "Impassable walls divided them."

"The Lanes Between," I said.

Aerith and Yuffie nodded.

"The Heartless destroyed those walls," Yuffie stated. "If the worlds return, so will the walls."

"Which means Gummi Ships will be useless," Leon said bluntly.

Sora looked down at his feet. "So, you're saying we'll never…?"

Everyone was quiet. I looked at the people around me, each person with their head down. It was a sad truth. We would never see each other again after restoring the worlds, and I wasn't sure I was ready to say goodbye. But, that didn't mean we would have to forget, did it?

As if to answer my internal question, Leon said, "We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other."

"No matter where we are," Aerith said. "Our hearts will bring us together again."

"Besides," Yuffie said with a wave of her hand. "I couldn't forget you even if I wanted to."

Sora looked up at that, and narrowed his eyes playfully at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I couldn't help but giggle, which was broken off by a nervous sounding Donald.

"Sora!" he squawked.

"Pyn!" Goofy shouted.

We turned to look at what had them so distraught. Sure enough, we could see darkness begin to pour out of the Keyhole.

"Come and close the Keyhole!"

"Sora, Pyn," I heard Leon say behind us. "Good luck."

I turned to him and nodded. Then the two of us ran back inside the Keyhole and joined Donald and Goofy. We stood in front of the Keyhole, with Keyblades raised. A beam of light shone from each end and then joined together, filling the Keyhole with light. In a matter of seconds, there was the sound of a click, and then the light was gone.

Somewhere, inside my head, I could hear the faint voice of someone calling my name. As we turned and headed for the exit, I heard a voice say, "Pynelopie, I am so proud of you."

As single tear fell down my cheek as I recognized the voice.

_Master Eraqus._

xxx

"We got enough items?" Sora asked me.

"Yep. It should be enough for the final showdown with Ansem."

"And Alice and the other Princesses gave us more powerful spells," Donald pointed out. "That should help."

"Yeah, and Aerith upgraded us to Curaga," I mentioned. "That will be a huge help."

"So it's off to the final world, huh?" Sora asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. If I didn't think it would be too dangerous, I would have kept Tinker Bell with us. She was a big help."

"What did Peter have to say about that?"

"Well, he really wanted us to make sure she kept a cool head, but I told him that I didn't want her to get hurt, even if she could take care of herself. He understood, and appreciates us looking after her for as long as we did."

Jiminy hopped onto my shoulder. "Well, that was mighty nice of him. He's a good boy."

I nodded in agreement.

We rode in silence as Donald drove us to our final destination: End of the World. Sora sat next to me, with his arms behind his head, giving him more cushion. I looked out of the window, into the Lanes Between, wondering what was waiting for us.

"Hey, Pyn?" Sora asked me.

"Hmm?"

"What are you going to do, once we're back on the islands?"

I thought about it for a moment. _What would I do?_ I wondered. _The only place I could go back to is the orphanage. And I really don't want to go back there. What if…?_

"I'm not sure," I said.

"Really?"

"Really. Remember what Yuffie said, about how when the worlds return, everyone will go back to where they're from?"

"Yeah," he said. "What about it?"

"What if…I don't go back to the islands?"

Sora sat up and put his hands down. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"What if…what if I go back to the world I'm really from?"

"Then, that'll mean…we'll never see each other again."

Everyone was silent. The only thing that could be heard was the humming of the Gummi Ship. After a moment, Goofy spoke up. "No worries!" he said. "Remember what Leon said: We may never meet again…"

Sora and I smiled. "But we'll never forget each other," we said in unison.

"We're here," Donald announced.

Sora, Goofy, and I looked out of the windows. In front of us was a swirling, black orb, with tendrils of darkness flowing from it. I had this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I could tell that this world was full of darkness.

"End of the World," I barely uttered.

"This is where Ansem is," Sora said.

"Our final battle."

"Are you ready?" Goofy asked us.

I double checked our supplies and made sure everyone had enough items. "Ready," I said. I looked to Jiminy, who was still perched on my shoulder. "Maybe you should stay in here, Jiminy."

Jiminy shook his head. "No way! As Royal Chronicler, and as a conscience, I'm coming with ya."

"Then let's go!" Donald said.

xxx

We walked out of a small cave and onto a rocky shore. What lay in front of us was somewhat beautiful, but terrifying. There was nothing but a vast, glassy lake, with small crops of sand scattered here and there. In the distance, one could see a few pillars of rock and light shining in the distance, as if it was a portal to another area of the world.

"Gawrsh!" Goofy exclaimed. "Is that all that's left of the worlds taken by the Heartless?"

"Those worlds will be restored if we beat Ansem, right?" Sora asked.

"You betcha," Donald said.

"But if we do beat him, and all of these worlds become lost and disconnected, what's gonna happen to this place? And to us?"

"Well," I started, folding my arms across my chest. "Uh…"

"This is a Heartless world," Goofy said. "So maybe it'll just disappear."

Sora, Donald, and I quickly turned to Goofy. "Huh?" we asked in unison.

"But no worries. Even if this place goes poof, our hearts ain't goin' nowhere. I'm sure we'll find our pals again. Yup, I just know we will."

"Yeah," Sora said. "You're right."

"Maybe I'll find Terra, Ven, and Aqua," I said. I pulled out the Wayfinder Aqua had given me, and remembered what she had told everyone the night she had given them out.

_As long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing will ever drive you apart. You will always find your way back to each other._

"Maybe," Jiminy reassured me.

I nodded, and then turning to my other companions, I said, "Let's go."

That was easier said than done.

Within walking a few feet, we were swallowed up by an electrified bubble, which submerged us under the lake. Waiting for us at the bottom was a group of Heartless.

"Where did this come from?" I wondered out loud.

"It's gotta be coming from the world itself," Sora said as he fought off a Darkball.

"You think this world is fighting us off?" I struggled to fight off a new enemy, one called an Angel Star. And it was anything but an angel.

"It is a Heartless world, right?"

"True."

The four of us fought off the group of Heartless, and then resurfaced. As soon as we did, we ran toward the glowing portal. We encountered several more instances where we were submerged, but we made it there with a good majority of our items still intact.

We passed through the portal and into a relatively dry area, where the ground sparkled a little and there were ledges leading up and down, one or two with glowing orbs of light. The four of us were huffing and puffing, hands on our knees and trying to catch our breath.

"What do you think those lights are for?" Sora asked in between breaths.

"More portals?" I guessed. "Maybe they lead onward."

"I wonder where that Ansem feller went?" Goofy asked.

"Dive into the most dangerous place and we'll find him," Donald said.

"That's a cheerful thought," I said.

Sora looked at Donald with a puzzled look. "Where did you get that?"

Donald merely shrugged.

I shook my head. "Let's keep going guys."

The four of us climbed up the different ledges in the area, going up and down ladders, trying to get to one of the portals. We encountered plenty of Heartless, and disposed of them quickly. We eventually made it to one of the portals, which lead us to another area—an area made up of different platforms with glowing pillars in the center of them.

We zipped to one of the platforms and looked around.

"Where do ya suppose this leads to?" Goofy asked, pointing to the glowing pillar in front of them.

"I don't know," I said. I walked up to the pillar and stuck my head in it. What I saw amazed me. "Huh?"

"What is it, Pyn?" Sora asked.

I pulled my head from the pillar and looked at the others, my eyes wide. "It's…Traverse Town."

"What?" Sora then took the liberty of sticking his head into the pillar as well. He quickly pulled it out and looked at me, eyes wide. "It sure is."

We looked off to the area across from us. Sure enough, there was another platform ahead, with another glowing pillar in the center. We zipped across to that platform, with Donald and Goofy in tow, and quickly stuck our head into the pillar. It was Wonderland.

We did the same thing for the next few platforms, looking into each pillar and seeing each world we had ever been to.

"What is this place?" Sora asked.

"I don't know," Donald said.

"Maybe this is how the Heartless have been getting' to the different worlds," Goofy stated.

I shook my head. "No, remember? Leon and the gang had said they have been taken different routes to get to the different worlds. We fight their ships every time we go to another world."

"Oh, right."

"Then what about these pillars?" Donald asked.

"Illusions maybe?"

"But what about the next pillar?" Sora asked, pointing off in the distance. "These were the only worlds we've been to."

"Maybe it lead to the next area," I said.

"Then let's get going," Donald said.

Sora and I nodded, and the four of us zipped to the next platform. We ran up to the pillar, and I looked through it.

"Where does that one lead to?" Sora asked.

"Nowhere we've ever been," I said. "That's for sure." With that, I walked through.

"Pyn!" I heard the others exclaim.

"I'm fine. But you guys should get in here."

They did exactly that. We found ourselves in a hallway, with a giant Heartless emblem glowing in front of us. Of to the left, there was a small room with an odd looking machine. I walked in there, with the boys following right behind me.

"What do you think this is?" Sora asked.

"I don't know." Out of curiosity, I pushed one of the buttons on the machine, and a recording of Ansem played.

"Ones born of the heart and darkness, devoid of hearts, ravage all worlds and bring desolation," the recording said. "Seize all hearts and consummate the great heart. All hearts to be one, one heart to encompass all. Realize the destiny: the realm of Kingdom Hearts. The great darkness sealed within the great heart. Progeny of darkness, come back to the eternal darkness. For the heart of light shall unseal the path. Seven hearts, one Keyhole, one key to the door. The door of darkness, tied by two keys. The door of darkness to seal the light. None shall pass but shadows, returning to the darkness. Ones born of the heart and darkness, hunger for every heart until the dark door opens."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I wondered out loud. Before anyone could answer my question, a group of Heartless showed up. A group of Invisibles, to be exact.

We fought them off as hard as we could. They were nearly impossible to defeat, taking at least two people to defeat just one. There were four of us against four, but we managed. After the fight, I cast Curaga to heal everyone.

"Thanks," I heard everyone say.

There was a flash of bright light, and we were back out on the platform.

"Everyone okay?" I asked.

"Yeah," I heard Sora say.

"That pillar left a hole," Donald pointed out.

"Do ya think it leads somewhere?" Goofy asked.

I looked at my companions and then at the hole in the ground. "Only one way to find out." Without hesitation, I jumped into the hole.

Goofy was right to guess that it lead somewhere. I was just wishing that it didn't lead to the enemy we now had to face. What I had originally thought was a mountain was actually a gigantic, winged demon with yellow eyes, stuck in a mountain.

"Why such a huge Heartless?" Sora asked, summoning the Kingdom Key.

"I'm not sure it is a Heartless," I said, looking at him. It was then that I realized that the group was floating along.

"You'd be right to say that, Pyn," Jiminy informed me.

"Really?"

"His name's Chernabog. He was banished long ago, and must have ended up here somehow."

"Who banished him?"

"The King's teacher, Yen Sid."

"Wow, sounds powerful."

"He must be guardin' somethin'," Goofy said.

"Maybe."

"What do you think, Sora?" Donald asked.

"It must mean we are getting close to Ansem," he said. With that, he flew off towards Chernabog.

"I agree," I said, and flew after him, Destiny's Union in hand.

Chernabog wasn't difficult to defeat—he just made it difficult. We had to dodge ethereal lights and pillars of fire to get clear shots at him. When we did get close to him, and after a few good combos, he would send an enormous wind to blast us away from him. There was one point where he would summon up a wall of fire around him, causing some massive damage to us and protecting himself. It was a lot of work, but we eventually defeated him. When we did, he burst into flames and disappeared.

"We are definitely close to Ansem," I said as I cast Curaga and drank a Mega Ether.

"If that wasn't a sign," Sora said. "Then what was?"

"I can feel an immense amount of darkness coming from the mountain," I said. "It's definitely stronger."

"Then let's head down."

"Right."

The four of us flew down into the mountain, following the different passageways and into smaller rooms. We eventually came to a large room barred off by a Heartless insignia. I walked up to study it, but there was no doorknob or handle to allow passage through.

"Now what?" Donald asked.

As if to answer his question, a Behemoth Heartless appeared.

"We fight, as usual."

Using the same technique we used back in Hollow Bastion, we quickly disposed of the Behemoth. When it was gone, a part of the emblem disappeared.

"Guess we hafta fight Heartless to go on through," Goofy said.

"Then bring it on!" Sora exclaimed.

As each wave of Heartless appeared, we fought on as hard as we could. The more we fought, the more Heartless appeared, and the more Heartless that appeared, the faster the emblem disappeared. Once it was gone, the Heartless stopped appearing. Noticing that the coast was clear, we headed through the newly created opening, and into a small area that contained one single door. A door I recognized from not only from my dream—the dream I had before this all happened—but from the island as well.

"Whew!" I exclaimed. "That…was a lot of Heartless."

"Nothing we couldn't handle," Sora said, taking in deep breaths as he recovered from the fight. No one was hurt too bad, so I handed everyone a Hi-Potion instead of using magic. I wanted to save my strength for the battle with Ansem. He was close, and I could feel it.

"You sure?" Goofy asked in a worried tone.

"I vote we take a breather!" Donald exclaimed.

Sora didn't seem to hear what Donald had said, because he immediately walked up to the door as he finished his Hi-Potion. Just as he was about to grab the handle, he stopped all of a sudden.

"Huh?" he asked.

"What's wrong?" Donald asked.

"Don't you hear something?" Sora asked him. He pointed toward the door. "There!"

I concentrated on the door, listening for any noises. Suddenly, I hear a familiar voice. "Careful. This is the last haven you'll find here. Beyond, there is no light to protect you. But don't be afraid. Your heart is the mightiest weapon of all. Remember, the both of you are the ones who will open the door to the light."

_Huh?_ I wondered. _Why does that voice sound so familiar? It's as if…I heard it in a dream once. Or in another time._

"I don't hear anything," Donald said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Strange," Sora said. "That voice was so familiar. Maybe it's just my imagination."

"Maybe you'd better take a rest."

I shook my head. "Although that's a great idea, we should probably push on. You never know when the Heartless are going to show up again."

Sora nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

I walked up to him and put a hand on one of the door's handles. "Everyone ready?"

xxx

I was surprised to see what I saw once my eyes had adjusted to the bright light. I could hear the sound of waves crashing against the shore. I could smell the salty air, and feel the wind on my face. Once I could actually see, I saw the familiar scenery of Destiny Islands.

"Is this…is this our island?" Sora asked in disbelief.

"Looks like it," I answered hesitantly. I feeling in my gut was getting tighter. I could sense that there was too much darkness here, something that I could not originally sense before on the islands. The more we walked around, the stronger the feeling got. We walked towards the Secret Place, and then I knew for sure.

This was not our island.

"Sora…"

"This world has been connected," I heard a familiar voice say. I looked around to figure out where the voice was coming from, and as I did, I noticed that the small islet had disappeared.

"Huh?" I wondered.

"What was that?" Goofy asked.

"Tied to the darkness…soon to be completely eclipsed," the voice continued. "There is so very much to learn."

At that statement, the ocean turned a purple color.

"You understand so little."

It was then that I recognized the voice. It was Ansem.

"A meaningless effort," he said. "One who knows nothing can understand nothing."

All of a sudden, a bright flash of light appeared. When it subsided, the island was completely transformed. I looked around us, and it seemed that the entire island was suspended into midair. I shuddered at the thought. On the edge of the beach, was Riku.

"Riku…" I said. I ran up to him, Sora and the others following quickly behind. The moment we got close to him, though, the minute he began speaking, I knew it wasn't Riku.

"Take a look at this tiny place," Ansem said. "To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison, surrounded by water. And so this boy sought to escape from his prison. He found a way to cross over into other worlds, and he opened his heart to darkness." As he turned to face us, Riku's form melted away, showing us Ansem's true form.

"Riku!" Sora shouted.

"Don't bother," Ansem said. "Your voice can no longer reach him where he is. His heart belongs again to darkness."

"No…" I whispered.

"All worlds begin in darkness…and also end. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it, grows, consumes it. Such is it's nature."

Ansem suddenly disappeared. But we could hear his voice behind us, which caused us to turn around and face him. "In the end, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came. Darkness is the heart's true essence."

"That's not true!" I shouted.

"The heart may be weak," Sora explained. "And sometimes, it may even give in."

"But we've learned that deep down there's a light that never goes out!"

Ansem didn't seem to like our observation very well. He folded his arms and rose from the ground, remaining suspended in the air. "So, you have come this far and still you understand nothing. Every light must fade, every heart return to darkness!" With that, he summoned a Pureblood Heartless behind him and began to attack us.

Sora and I instantly summoned our Keyblades. I did a backflip to dodge his attack, while Sora rolled out of the way. Donald and Goofy had summoned their weapons and began attacking Ansem. I blocked an attack by the Heartless, which consisted of it summoning various blades of darkness and shooting them at me. I blocked quite a few of the blades, sending back Ansem's way. He received damage from them, which I was quite happy about. I ran towards him and began to slash away, putting in several good combos before I flipped out of the away from a counterattack. Sora tried to attack from behind, but the Heartless made it difficult to do so.

After his failed attempt, Sora backed away as much as possible and cast Firaga. This did enough damage to cause Ansem to be temporarily delayed.

"What's the plan?" he asked me as soon as he could.

"Umm…I don't know," I said.

"That's a first."

"I know…it's just…I can't really figure him out. He keeps moving!"

"Well, I know that you can't attack whenever the Heartless is behind him."

"Or in front of him," I added.

"That, too."

Then it dawned on me. "That's it! Ansem's using it as a shield."

"So whenever the Heartless is blocking…"

"You attack the other side!"

Just as we came up with a plan of attack, Ansem recovered and his Heartless companion began shooting dark blades and throwing darkness-infused punches at us.

"Let's put our plan to good use then," I said.

We did just that. Whenever the Heartless was blocking any of our attacks, the other would attack the side of Ansem that was exposed. Donald and Goofy caught on to what we were doing, and followed suit. It was a lot of work, but it paid off. Eventually, we defeated Ansem.

Realizing that he was at a loss, Ansem rose up and away from us, his Heartless companion dissipating slowly. He flew towards an opposite end of the island, and disappeared. As he did so, a part of the island transformed again, opening to another small area.

"This battle is not over," I stated. I quickly downed a Mega Potion and Mega Ether, the effects benefitting everyone in our party. I ran over to the newly created area, Sora following closely behind me. As soon as we entered the small area, a Darkside Heartless appeared.

"Where did it come from?" Sora asked.

"Who cares?" I asked. "Let's just get rid of it!"

"Okay."

Taking care of Darkside was a walk in the park. Because we had fought two of them before, Sora and I had taken it down with ease. It was only after the battle that I realized that we were two heads short.

"Donald?" I called out. "Goofy?"

I looked behind me, and saw them just outside the entrance into the small area. They were banging on something.

_Go figure,_ I thought. _A barrier._

I ran up to it and began to bash my Keyblade against it, trying to break it open so that Donald and Goofy could help us. My efforts were interrupted by a flash of dark lightning in my general direction.

"AH!" I screamed, startled by the unexpected attack.

I turned and saw what had caused the attack. Ansem was back with his lackey, with a few new tricks up his sleeve. I half expected to be able to fight him the same way as last time, but quickly learned that was not the case. This time, Ansem could charge at us with dark lightning to empower the attack, and he could also send his Heartless lackey into the ground, only to appear beneath us and rise from the ground to cause damage. Sora and I quickly learned that we needed to time our dodges wisely to avoid damage from either attacks. And without the aid of Donald and Goofy, it took longer to beat him.

"Any ideas?" Sora asked.

"For now, I'll cover you. Give you whatever items you need, throw some spells at him to slow him down. That kind of thing."

"Okay. And me?"

"Dodge and attack as much as possible."

"Good plan."

"The best I can come up with for now."

So we did just that. I cast as many attack spells as I could to slow Ansem down, while Sora put in as many combos as he could before he would charge at him with dark lightning or send his Heartless lackey to do the dirty work. Whenever this would happen, and I felt Sora was doing a good job dodging, I would go in for the attack. I would return to my temporary role whenever the Heartless was back to defend its master. This tedious work went on for a good while. Eventually, we won this round.

As soon as that happened though, Sora and I, along with Donald and Goofy, were swallowed up by darkness.

xxx

"Wha…?" Sora wondered.

When I opened my eyes, there was nothing but darkness surrounding us. We looked around, mainly to see where Ansem was lurking. We couldn't see him, but we sure could hear him.

"Behold the endless abyss!" Ansem called out to us. "Within lies the heart of all worlds: Kingdom Hearts!"

In the distance, I could make out a small island and a large white door.

_Kingdom Hearts_, I thought.

"Look as hard as you are able," Ansem continued. "You'll not find even the smallest glimmer of light. From those dark depths are all hearts born. Even yours."

All of a sudden, a gigantic Heartless vessel appeared, with Ansem at the helm.

"Darkness conquers all worlds!"

Just then, some unseen force pulls Donald and Goofy away from us, pulling them towards the vessel. Sora and I began to plummet down into the darkness.

"AH!" I screamed.

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the shrinking form of the Heartless vessel as I fell. All of a sudden, I hear a voice in my head. A familiar voice that I used to hear when I was training to become a Keyblade Wielder. It was Terra.

"Come on, Pyn!" he exclaimed. "I thought you were stronger than that."

I opened my eyes at his voice and shot up, just as Sora had done when we were in Neverland. I summoned Destiny's Union, and joined Sora for the final showdown.

"You ready for this?" I asked him.

"Ready when you are," he said.

"Good. I'll go after Ansem and you try to see if you can get to Donald and Goofy."

"Right."

We split up to do our different jobs. Sora headed straight for the vessel, and I headed for its captain. I flew as fast as I could, dodging dark attacks as I did. I could feel light within me start to well up, and as soon as I felt that I had a clear shot, I slashed at Ansem, sending a wave of light as I did. This caused the amount of damage that I wanted to, and delaying him enough that I could get in some quick, solid combos. Once he recovered, I flew away from him, avoiding his spear attacks and some dark attacks as well. Small, bat-winged Pureblood Heartless appeared and began to attack me, but I defeated those with relative ease and began to attack their master once more. The fight went on like this for a while until Ansem shielded himself from me by using a Heartless emblem.

"Dang it!" I cried out. I turned to go look for Sora, only to be pulled into a portal.

Beyond the portal it was total darkness. I couldn't even make out my own hand.

"What the heck?" I said out loud.

"Pyn?" I heard a familiar squawk.

"Donald? Where are you?"

"Over here!"

"Where? I can't see!" To solve our problem, I cast Fire, shooting the spell above me so that I could possibly get a better look at the room. Sure enough, a few feet away from me was Donald, attacking a Shadow. "Let me help you with those," I added, seeing that there was more than just one.

We quickly took care of those, and I tried to feel for an exit. I didn't find anything, but what I did find was interesting.

"What did you find?" Donald asked.

"An orb of some kind. Maybe if we get rid of it, we can get out of here."

"Let's try."

We attacked the orb as fast as we could, quickly destroying the gelatinous glob of darkness. Sure enough, destroying it was our ticket out of there.

"We're free!" Donald exclaimed.

"And we're not alone," I added, seeing the familiar faces of Sora and Goofy. I pointed towards the upper part of the vessel, where Ansem was. "Shall we?"

"Our pleasure!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy shouted. With that the four of us flew up to defeat Ansem once and for all.

"Just follow my lead," I said.

I dodged dark attacks and Heartless as I flew up to Ansem. Sora did the same, flying up right next to me. I looked at Ansem, and then at Sora. He smiled and nodded at me, knowing exactly what I was thinking. We split up in different directions, and then quickly attack Ansem from both sides. This took the Seeker of Darkness by surprise, and delayed his next attack for quite some time. The both of us got in some really good combos, with the added benefit of Donald casting Firaga and Blizzaga. Ansem recovered, just barely getting us with an attack, which only caused minimal damage. We kept this up for quite some time, until the vessel began to blow up in different areas, causing massive damage to Ansem. Ansem, had been defeated.

Unfortunately, to my utter dismay, he was only reduced to his original form.

"Man," I thought out loud. "How many time do we have to fight him?"

"It is futile," Ansem said, as if he were answering my question. "The Keyblades alone cannot seal the door to darkness." The Seeker of Darkness weakly turned towards Kingdom Hearts, arm extended and reaching for it. "Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of darkness."

_Wait a minute_, I thought. _He's weak, which means…_

Kingdom Hearts' door began to open, dark smoke flowing out of it.

"Supreme darkness…"

"You're wrong!" I shouted.

"I know now," Sora said. "Without a doubt. Kingdom Hearts is light!"

As soon as Sora spoke those words, light shined out of Kingdom Hearts, enveloping Ansem in its warm glow. As this is happening, he begins to dissipate.

"Light?" he questioned. "Why?"

In a final burst of light, Ansem disappeared for good.

xxx

"Come on!" Sora exclaimed, pushing on one of the doors to Kingdom Hearts. I helped him to push on the door on the right side, while Donald and Goofy began pushing on the left side. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Goofy stop to look inside.

"Stop staring and keep pushing!" Donald squawked. But the poor guy could keep himself from looking.

I heard the both of them cry out. "The Heartless?!"

"Hurry!" Donald shouted.

"I can't…" I heard Sora say.

"Don't give up!" a voice said from the other side of the doors. I looked up to see a familiar face.

"Riku!" I exclaimed.

"Come on, Sora, Pyn," he said. "Together, we can do it!"

Sora nodded. "Okay," he said.

We pushed the doors as hard as we could, and Riku pulled as hard as he could muster. But the doors weren't closing quick enough, and I could sense the Heartless coming.

"It's hopeless!" Donald squawked.

"No, it's not," I argued. I looked up for a mere second, and saw the approaching Heartless disappear one by one.

Donald and Goofy looked up as well, just in time to see something appear in front of a ray of light. I recognized the figure from all those years ago, and so did they.

"Your Majesty!" they cried out.

"Mickey!" I called out.

Mickey held up a Keyblade, similar in shape to Sora's own. "Now, Sora, Pyn," he said. "Let's close this door for good!"

"Close it quick!" Donald urged us.

"Sora," Goofy said. "You can trust King Mickey."

"Now!" Riku urged on. "They're coming!"

Sora and I pushed harder on our door, which was closing quickly. But the other door wasn't.

_Oh no! _I thought. _It's not going to close in time if we don't do something!_

"Donald, Goofy," Mickey said. "Thank you."

I did the only thing I could think of. I ran inside and grabbed a hold of the door, pulling it shut.

"Pyn!" Riku exclaimed.

"What are you doing?" Sora asked.

"We've got to get this door closed quickly," I explained. "It's the only way."

"But, Pyn…" I heard Jiminy say.

"Jiminy, go with them. I'll be okay."

Jiminy nodded and hopped off of my shoulder and onto Sora's.

"Donald, Goofy, push!" I shouted.

I felt the door start to close faster as I pulled. I looked up at Sora, Donald, and Goofy.

I gave them a small smile. "Trust me," I said. "I know what I need to do."

The three of them nodded, understanding. They pushed while I tugged on the door one last time. Before the doors shut, I heard Riku say, "Take care of her."

I smiled, knowing exactly what he meant. I looked over to Mickey, who had his Keyblade raised. I raised my own, and a beam of light emitted from both. Within seconds, Kingdom Hearts was gone, and so were my friends.

I looked down at the ground, tears welling up in my eyes, threatening to break through. I felt a hand on my arm, and looked up a little, making eye contact with none other than King Mickey himself.

"Mickey…" I barely muttered.

"That was really brave of you, Pyn," he said. "Master Eraqus would be proud."

I rubbed at my eyes. "You think so?"

Mickey nodded. "Uh huh."

"Yeah," Riku said. "We're all proud of you."

"Thanks you guys." I looked over at Riku and then, out of nowhere, I punched him really hard in the arm.

"OW! What was that for?"

I put my hands on hips. "That was for being a jerk! And you know what I mean!"

Riku put his hands up in surrender. "Okay! Okay! I get it. I learned my lesson."

I pointed a finger at him. "You had better!"

Riku laughed, and I smiled. I was happy to have my friend back.

"So what happens now?" I asked, looking towards the King.

"Well…I suppose…first we have to figure out how to get out of here."

I nodded. "That's definitely a start. But where is here?"

"The Realm of Darkness," Mickey said.

"Oh, well then…shall we?"

"Let's get to it," Riku said.

With that, we started down the road through the Realm of Darkness. As we did, I couldn't help but hear the voice of Master Eraqus in my head, saying, "Remember, Pyn. You are one of the ones who will open to door to the light."

A single tear trickled down my cheek as I smiled at his fading words. And somewhere, deep inside, I felt the warmth of light lingering in that darkness. I wasn't sure of where it was coming from, but I knew it was close, and that made me feel certain that I did the right thing. And that I wasn't alone.

* * *

><p>AN: There you have it guys. The long awaited, final chapter of _Re: Kingdom Hearts_. I know it is extremely long (try 28 pages), and that I probably could have chopped it into two different chapters, but I wasn't going to make you guys wait any longer. Again, I apologize for the extremely LONG wait. Thank you guys so much for sticking with me and being patient. I really do appreciate it. You all deserve Keyblade-shaped cookies. And hugs. TONS of hugs. Even though this is the last chapter, I still wish to know your thoughts, so please, out of the kindness of your hearts, please leave a review. They are really my only payment, and they make me feel so warm and fuzzy on the inside XD Well, that's it I suppose. I decided to adopt the song Distant from You... from the KH3D OST as Pyn's theme song, and if you haven't heard it yet, I will have a link for it put on my profile page so that you can! But other than that...thank you so much guys. I really hope you enjoyed it!

This is XantheXV, signing off!


	26. Secret Ending: Twilight's View

Author's Note: Congratulations, guys! You unlocked a bonus chapter! I got this idea while I was trying to go to sleep, after I posted the final chapter. It got me thinking, what about the secret ending? Everybody tends to like those, right?

So this is my secret ending for _Re: Kingdom Hearts_. So this is the end. Again, thank you for all of your support and for those of you who have been with me since the beginning. I appreciate it a lot.

This is in third person P.O.V, just so you know. It kinda hints as to what may happen in the sequel.

* * *

><p><strong>Secret Ending: Twilight's View<strong>

A lone figure in a black coat walked up the stairs of Twilight's view. She had her hood up, so the only thing you could see was a bit of her long black hair poking out. She walked in silence, making her way up to her room.

There was only one other there, and the fiery red-head walked up to her. They stopped walking, and began to talk. Carefully though, as if someone were listening in.

"Your mind's made up?" the spiky red-head asked.

"Yeah," the girl said. "My training is almost over. And he'll be awake soon."

"You know what they're gonna do, right?" he asked, worry dripping in his voice. "They'll hunt you down. They'll try to destroy you."

"Let them try. By then, they'll know the truth. That I'm not who they think I am."

"What if they already know?"

The girl smiled. "Then that makes my job a little easier, doesn't it?"

"What are you going to do?" the man asked.

There was a moment's pause, and then, "I'm gonna get my friends back. I'll go back to where I need to be…and go from there."

The man nodded. "Good luck. Keep in touch." With that, he walked off.

The girl continued on, smiling, a single tear flowing down her cheek. "I will," she whispered.

In her hand, she carried a purple, star-shaped good luck charm. In the center was the boxy shape of a heart, a symbol only she knew from her youth.

The symbol of the Keyblade Masters.

* * *

><p>AN: So, that's it. I will be doing a sequel, but not how I had originally planned. It will be interesting to say the least. I hope you enjoyed the little extra chapter. Again, the idea popped up while I was trying to sleep. Any guesses as to who the figures are? I believe this is a fairly easy question to answer. I made one completely obvious!

Thank you all for you wonderful support and your awesome reviews! You guys were my main motivation for this story, so this chapter is dedicated to you!

This is XantheXV, signing off (of this story) for good!


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